Rohan Shrestha who shot Neymar, says, 'He has an insane aura and is very different from Messi'

For celebrity photographer Rohan Shrestha, photographing Brazilian football superstar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, popularly known as Neymar Jr., was a dream assignment. A lifelong FC Barcelona fan, Shrestha says he has admired the striker since his days at the Spanish club, making the opportunity to shoot him a deeply personal milestone.

“It was quite exciting. I watched him as a Barcelona fan, and I’m just a huge fan of Neymar as a footballer. He’s tremendous to watch. So to get the opportunity to work with him, I was super excited,” he says. Having previously photographed Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, Shrestha admits he never imagined another assignment could come close. “After Messi, I never thought anything could top that because Messi is my favourite player by far.

But getting the chance to continue working with athletes, especially ones that I’m a fan of, is always very special. It’s deeply gratifying. It makes me feel extremely validated with what I do. This definitely feels like another feather in my cap,” he shares. Despite sharing one of football's most celebrated partnerships during their time at FC Barcelona, Shrestha found Messi and Neymar to be complete opposites off the field.

“Messi is very introverted—he mostly keeps to himself. Neymar is the opposite. He’s open, extroverted, talking to people around the set. He had a translator because he speaks Portuguese, but he was just like a guy hanging out and getting involved in things.

It was quite endearing. To get an opportunity to see them up close and photograph them both—when you’ve wished for something your whole life and it suddenly comes true, it’s a blessing.

Neymar has insane aura,” he says. The shoot, however, came with its own share of challenges. Shrestha recalls arriving in another country after a flight delay, without his regular team, and having to work with unfamiliar equipment. “One of my lights stopped working and I was nervous as hell. I flew in just in time and had to run the shoot solo. I had to explain my setup to a completely new crew because they weren’t familiar with the way I worked.

There was a lot of nervous energy, but that’s the moment that has stayed with me,” he says. Although the language barrier meant there wasn't much conversation, Shrestha says Neymar was warm and gracious throughout the shoot. “He was really nice, really sweet. We had a photo together, and I told him I’m a Barcelona fan. He signed my jerseys for me, which was incredibly kind,” he says. Shrestha has steadily built an international portfolio over the years, photographing some of the world's biggest sporting and entertainment personalities, including Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Zinedine Zidane, Kevin Hart, and members of Manchester City, besides working with several leading global brands and international campaigns.