Richard Ríos, crash of the Colombian National Team, the new phenomenon on social networks in Brazil

Ríos, who plays for Palmeiras in Brazil, not only causes a sensation on the fields, the one born in Vegachi, Antioquia, is also a sensation on TikToka social network in which he is already the second Palmeiras player with the most followers.

On Instagram, with 2.8 million fans, the Colombian player follows Endrickthe new jewel of the Brazil National Team, already signed by Real Madrid and worth 10.4 million.

Ríos, who jumped from Colombian futsal to Brazilian soccer without playing professional soccer in Colombia, has become a hit among younger fans, men and women. Despite not having an official account on TikTok, it is common to see video edits with his best moments, usually very smiling.

In the opinion of Fabio Wolffmanaging partner of Wolff Sports and sports marketing specialist, and responsible for managing forward Endrick’s sponsorship contracts, Ríos’ image among Palmeiras fans acquired a new type of identification.

“Despite his short time at the club, Ríos is already adapted to Brazilian football, with time at Flamengo and Guaraní, and at Palmeiras he won the affection of the fans with his good football and his image off the field. On TikTok it is not unusual to see countless young people and teenagers create pages with cuts that involve their plays on the field or training moments, since their smile is very striking on the part of the club, which has a DNA with South American athletes. It is important to explore with him actions that involve partners and explore this moment further also through official channels,” analyzes Wolff.

“The only thing the fan wants is a close connection and, in some way, if the athlete can communicate well and is frequent on social networks, he becomes a great asset to explore for him and for the institution itself. Internally, marketing needs to know the right moment and read the profile of the athlete’s fan, and thus, make the connection, create products and generate content that makes sense for both parties,” adds Renê Salviano, CEO of Heatmap and sports marketing specialist. .

In recent months, Ríos gained almost 300,000 new followers on Instagram and 25 percent of this amount came while playing with the Colombia selection. In the last few days alone there were 150,000 new followers.

For Rodrigo Azevedo, creative director of End to End, a communications and sports marketing company, Palmeiras fans have always had a strong identification with the foreigners who wear the club’s shirt. Richard Ríos improves the connection with the club’s fans.

“His full integration with the Brazilian language and culture, added to his relaxed and captivating personality, not only strengthens that emotional bond with the fans, but also expands the possibilities of exposing the club’s brand, not only in Brazil, but in all of Latin America, including his homeland, Colombia. Both the club and the player himself can benefit from this success, exploring sponsorship opportunities, marketing campaigns and digital and social participation actions, further consolidating their prominent position in the sports and media landscape. This partnership not only capitalizes on success, but also deepens the emotional involvement of the athlete with the fans, especially the young people
of Palmeiras, representing a new era of connection between club, athlete and fans,” he explains.

Ríos was called up by Néstor Lorenzo in the pre-list for the Copa América and has left pleasant sensations among fans and critics. His next challenge will be to have playing time in the friendly against Bolivia.

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With information from Press FC Assessoria for the firms Heatmap, Wolff Sports and End to End