Professional athletes have a long history of using their training arrival as an occasion to show off their abilities. Antoine Walker, a former NBA player for the Boston Celtics, once drove his Ferrari to an exercise as a cheeky flex, drawing the ire of competition junkie Michael Jordan (no introduction required). The latter was reportedly so unimpressed by Walker’s attempt to attain alpha dog status that he returned the favour by arriving in a different Ferrari each day for the following week’s workouts – and in identical Jumpman sweatsuits, no less. Neymar Jr.’s customised Mercedes-Benz helicopter is the only thing that has come close to matching Michael Jordan’s training arrival gesture in the modern era.
Let’s roll back the clock a bit here. It was the year 2019. As opposed to, I don’t know, bushfire ash and COVID-19 particles, there was a time when optimism still persisted in the air. After recuperating from a metatarsal injury that sidelined him for three months of the 2018-2019 season, the Paris Saint-Germain player reported for international duty with the Brazil national team prior to the Copa America tournament of that year. Neymar arrived at the Granja Comary sports complex in Teresopolis, Brazil, via Mercedes-Benz Airbus H-145 helicopter, rather than in one of his numerous supercars or with the assistance of a chauffeur.
“The helicopter is 13,64 metres in length and 3.95 metres in height, and it can attain speeds of up to 150 mph / 241 kilometres per hour. Mercedes crafted the VIP lounge’s unique furnishings. It accommodates eleven persons.”
Airbus H-145 helicopters are equipped with a twin-engine that can travel 351 nautical miles / 404 statute miles / 650 kilometres on a single canister of fuel. Additional reports indicate that both the sleek, midnight black paint job and insignia featured on the interior seating of Neymar’s skybird are direct references to the soccer superstar’s favourite superhero: Batman. He actually has a back tattoo of The Dark Knight and what appears to be Spider-Man from the Andrew Garfield era.
In addition to the Mercedes-Benz Airbus H-145 helicopter in question, which reportedly cost him €13 million (AU$20.3 million), Neymar Jr. has also been known to travel the world in his Embraer Legacy 450. In the end, are you even a professional baseball player if you don’t own a private aircraft worth approximately €12.2 million or $19.1 million?
