Italian artist visits Santos base to gift Neymar a portrait | OneFootball

Neymar of Santos received a personalised portrait from Italian artist Mattia Mastrillo during a visit to the CT Rei Pelé training ground.

According to Globo.com, Mastrillo is a contemporary artist known for work featuring leading footballers, including Cole Palmer, Leandro Paredes, Paulo Dybala, Rafael Leão and Moise Kean.

The artist said Neymar was enthused by the gift and asked for it to be sent to his home in the Santa Terezinha hill area of Santos. They also spoke about the forward’s fitness, with Neymar described as working very hard to return to his best, and Mastrillo showed other pieces, including 3D works with original shirts set in resin.

The portrait for Neymar was a present from Mastrillo and the player’s personal photographer, who helped arrange the surprise. In the image, the Santos idol wears the club’s blue shirt and a crown, while the artist is also noted for integrating authentic shirts into his canvases.

On the pitch, after missing matches against Flamengo and Deportivo Cuenca, Neymar should return to the starting line-up against Atlético-MG on Saturday in the 11th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Santos are banking on a fully refreshed Neymar to halt their poor run and build momentum across the Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil and Copa Sul-Americana. They have four consecutive home games and expect their No 10 in all of them.

Source: Globo.com