Rich, famous and... ready for a rest

'Incredible energy'

The news went viral in Brazil, and even drew comments from Spanish soccer giant Barcelona, who said on TikTok the club would miss Luva's "incredible energy".

Famous for his ever-present black gloves, or "luvas" in Portuguese — hence his nickname — and his favorite catch phrase, "Receba!" — which roughly translates as "Take that!" — Luva is perhaps best-loved for his goal celebrations, which have inspired imitations from stars including Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich.

In an interview with AFP just two days before announcing his break, Luva sounded happy and proud of his work, declaring: "I'm going to be an influencer for the rest of my life."

He said he was on the verge of releasing two new projects, without giving details.

Advisers said his need to step back was due to overload and unspecified personal problems.

It came just days after he made a commercial tour of Europe and Asia.

Luva had also recently signed a new deal with Falcao, after a break-up with his previous manager, Allan de Jesus, that ended in a messy court battle.