On Wednesday, February 5, FIFA celebrated the birthdays of football stars Neymar Jr, Carlos Tevez, and Cristiano Ronaldo with a graphic post. The post quickly gained attention due to its playful reference to South Indian actor Jr NTR. Animated versions of the three footballers were shown dancing to the Academy Award-winning song “Naatu Naatu” from Jr NTR's film RRR. The post’s caption, “Mood when it’s your birthday,” included the acronym “NTR” (Neymar-Tevez-Ronaldo), further linking the iconic actor to the global football stars.
Jr NTR responded to the post, acknowledging the fun gesture with a comment: “Haha… Happy birthday Neymar… Tevez… Ronaldo…”On the professional front, Jr NTR is currently shooting for War 2, his upcoming Bollywood project, and has Devara Part 2 and a film directed by Prashanth Neel in the works. This isn't the first time the football world has made a nod to South Indian cinema. In February 2024, Manchester City released a video featuring star player Erling Haaland, which included a reference to the legendary actor Rajinikanth.