Sometimes even the most recognizable footballers in the world need a simple human pleasure — a walk through the city without camera flashes and autograph lines. In New York, Neymar tried to do exactly that: hide his name, status, and the familiar noise around him for at least a couple of hours, turning the outing into a small “special operation” to return to ordinary life.
Disguising From Fame: When the Best Dribble Is Off the Pitch
The 33-year-old ‘Santos’ forward, who is on vacation in the United States, chose an unusual way to “shake off the marking” — not with feints, but with his look. Instead of living with constant attention, he decided to reduce his recognizability in the most literal way possible: cover his face and head so that passers-by had nothing but guesses.
Louis Vuitton as Armor: Hood, Volume, and a Balaclava
The key element of his “kit” was an oversized white-and-pink Louis Vuitton puffer jacket with a hood that almost completely covered his head. Completing the picture was a lilac-and-white balaclava with openings only for the eyes and mouth. The result was a look where fashion worked like a shield: striking and eye-catching, yet without any clear facial markers.
A Stroll Through Manhattan: Times Square and Rockefeller Center Without the Crowd
Dressed like that, Neymar was able to walk through the city streets, including Times Square, and visit Rockefeller Center. He is in America with his wife Bruna Biancardi and another couple — Chris Guedes and his wife Bianca Coimbra. On paper, it looked like a standard tourist route; in reality, it was a rare chance for a superstar to move without a “corridor” of phones.
The Camera as a Witness: “Mission — Stay Unnoticed”
Guedes turned the walk into a mini story for social media and posted a video with a telling title about the “mission,” in which the forward gets out of the car “in disguise,” walks through the streets, and takes photos with Bruna. A teasing line also made it into the clip:
— “Nobody recognized this guy… What’s it like to be an ordinary man?”
Neymar, laughing, replied: “I’m probably not quite ordinary,” clearly referring to his outfit.
A Vacation Before Surgery: A Career Pause and Focus on His Knee
Neymar had previously said he would undergo knee surgery. That’s why the trip looks like more than simple entertainment — it’s a reset before a medical phase. For a player of his level, recovery is a separate long-distance match, where routine, caution, and psychological breathing room matter.
Fame Still Finds You: Heat, Ice Cream, and the First “Reveals”
At one point, the Brazilian pulled down the hood and took off the balaclava to eat ice cream, then complained about the heat caused by the layered clothing. Reality kicked in: according to his friend, some people who saw Neymar without the “disguise” recognized him, but it didn’t cause any major difficulties.
A Pause Where You Can Hear the Silence
This story isn’t about shock value or brands. It’s more about trying, for a few hours, to play without pressure — with no stands around you and Manhattan streets instead of a stadium. Neymar put his “invisibility” on over the puffer jacket and simply tried to live like an ordinary person — even if only for a short while.
