Neymar once spent $180,000 on watches in one day and it turned into an endorsement deal

Neymar wore a watch from his own GaGá Milano line to his PSG press conference.Christian Hartmann/Reuters

When Neymar was introduced as the newest member of Paris Saint-Germain following his world-record transfer from Barcelona, he was wearing a classic black suit and one noticeable accessory — a timepiece from his own line of watches.

The watch, seen above, is the Neymar Jr. Limited Edition from GaGá Milano. Only 500 were produced and they retail for €1,790 (US$2,100).

While that pales in comparison to the $775,000 Richard Mille watch worn by Rafael Nadal during tournaments, it is how Neymar ended up with his own line of watches that is fascinating.

According to GaGá Milano, prior to the World Cup in 2014, Neymar randomly walked into a GaGá Milano boutique in Tokyo and spent ¥20 million (US$180,000) on 16 watches and some accessories. According to the company, “the entire staff [was] in awe.”

Clearly Neymar was a fan and the company sensed an opportunity as he is now their brand ambassador and his own line launched earlier this year.

And Neymar doesn’t only wear his signature watch. His Instagram account strongly suggests that he is still a big fan of many of their watches.

And here is the watch Neymar was wearing during his PSG introductory press conference.

GaGa Milano

There is one small problem. Notice the stylized No. 11 covered in diamonds on the watch face. That is for the No. 11 that Neymar wore with Barcelona. Neymar has switched to No. 10 with PSG, the same number he wears for the Brazilian national team.

Christian Hartmann/Reuters