Brazil star Edmilson has been named brand ambassador for Esportivo Bet, and it is not just the 2002 World Cup winner’s achievements in football that will add some kudos and credibility to the gambling operator.
For 20 years he has been the patron of the Edmilson Foundation in Brazil, a non-profit organisation that the footballer created to provide after school care for underprivileged children.
The Edmílson José Gomes de Moraes Foundation was established in 2005 in the municipality of Taquaritinga, on the fields where the former Barcelona and Lyon midfielder, who is now 49, learned how to kick a ball.
It now serves 800 children daily in Brazil and has directly impacted 6,800 young people since its inception.
It has also spawned the Edmilson Funds Asia which fights the same cause in Japan and will soon be operating in Singapore.
Edmilson’s Glittering Football Career
José Edmílson Gomes de Moraes was born in July 1976 and spent five years with São Paulo FC before leaving Brazil in 2000 to join Lyon in France.
The adaptable defensive midfielder was a regular in the team as the French club became Ligue 1 champions for three seasons in a row, earning him a €10 million move to Spanish giants Barcelona in 2004.
In Spain he won the LaLiga title in back-to-back seasons with Barca in 2005 and 2006 as well as helping to guide the team to a Champions League final win over Premier League Arsenal in the 2005-06 tournament.
His crowning glory with Brazil came in the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan where he was an integral part of the team that beat Germany 2-0 in the final.
“More than a champion, he’s a symbol of confidence both on and off the pitch,” said an Esportivio spokesperson.
“The experience, talent and victorious career of someone who conquered the world is now part of our purpose: to be a synonym of reliability and excellence in the sports betting universe.”
Brazil’s New Gambling Restrictions
Brazil’s regulated online betting market only launched on January 1 this year and the Senate has been reviewing various proposals regarding restrictions on advertising, celebrity endorsements and even considered raising the age limit of gamblers.
A bill approved in June does include a ban on all sports betting related ads during live broadcasts.
An additional ban on using celebrities, athletes and social media influencers in marketing materials only applies to current players or those whose careers have ended within the previous five years.
Brazil Stars Aligned With Gambling Companies
Edmilson has previously been an ambassador for other leading betting brands in Brazil.
His first step was in March 2022, when he assumed the role for sports betting platform B1.BET during World Cup year.
In October 2023 he signed a three-month partnership with online sports betting site Pix Sorte, and as part of that deal some of the proceeds were passed to the Edmilson Foundation.
Esportiva’s sporting connections don’t end with Edmilson either.
Esportiva Bet has been named as the sponsor for a ‘Game of the Stars’ in November, a tribute match for the most famous Brazilian player of all time Pele, who died in 2022.
November 19 is ‘King Pele Day’ (Dia do Rei Pele) in Brazil, signifying the date he scored his 1,000th career goal, but although it is nationally recognised, it Is not a public holiday.
The all-star game is scheduled for November 22 at the Rei Pele Stadium in Maceio.
The operator has signed up another former Brazil star, Adriano, as ambassador for that game.
Adriano was nicknamed the Emperor of Milan during his time with Serie A giants Inter where his goals helped them win four league titles in Italy.
In June, another Brazilian betting brand named a high-profile partnership, as Betnacional revealed details of its collaboration with Renato Gaúcho, who was coach of Fluminese at the time.
As a player he won 41 caps for the Brazil national team and was a part of the successful Copa America squad that lifted the 1989 trophy.
