the biography of neymar jr

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Neymar (born February 5, 1992, Mogi das Cruzes , Brazil) is a Brazilian football (soccer) player who is one of the most prolific scorers in his country’s storied football history.

Neymar began playing football as a boy in São Vicente , under the guidance of his father, a former professional footballer who remained a close adviser and mentor throughout his son’s career. Having played street and indoor five-a-side football, Neymar joined Portuguesa Santista’s youth team in São Vicente, and in 2003 he and his family moved to Santos . There Neymar, who was already an impressive player, joined the youth academy of Santos FC (the same club for which Brazilian football legend Pelé starred over the majority of his domestic career). At age 14 he had a successful trial with Spain’s Real Madrid , and Santos had to increase its spending to retain him.

Neymar—a slender-framed 5-foot 9-inch (1.75-metre) forward—was supremely confident on the field, with excellent body control, quick reflexes, and explosive speed. He made his first team debut with Santos in 2009. While playing with Santos, he averaged a goal every other match and helped the team win the Libertadores Cup (the most prestigious South American club competition) in 2011. Neymar’s many individual honours with Santos included the South American Footballer of the Year title in 2011 and 2012.

In June 2013 Neymar signed a five-year contract with FC Barcelona after a trade with Santos in exchange for €57 million (about $76 million), one of the most expensive soccer transfers in history. Two years later he helped Barcelona capture the “treble” of a La Liga championship, a Copa del Rey title, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League title. While Neymar was instrumental in Barcelona’s success from 2013 to 2017, totaling 105 goals in 186 games with the club across all competitions, he longed to get out of the shadow of teammate Lionel Messi , one of the greatest players in football history. As a result, in August 2017 he engineered a departure to the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a then record €222 million ($263 million) transfer fee. The move also made Neymar the highest-paid player in the world at the time, with a €45 million ($53 million) annual salary. PSG also signed Kylian Mbappé in August 2017. Neymar appeared in just 30 matches during his first season with PSG, scoring 28 goals for the club before breaking a bone in his right foot, though PSG powered to the Ligue 1 title in the 2017–18 season as well as in 2018–19 and 2019–20. In 2021—the same year that Messi signed with PSG—Neymar agreed to a contract extension that committed him to PSG until 2025. Neymar, Mbappé, and Messi became one of the most formidable front lines in all of football.

Internationally, Neymar was considered for the Brazilian side that participated in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa , but he was ultimately not included on the squad. Instead, he made his debut for the national team in August 2010, in a friendly match against the U.S., where he scored his first international goal in Brazil’s 2–0 win. He scored four goals for Brazil at the 2013 Confederations Cup, including one in the team’s 3–0 victory over Spain in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s most valuable player as well as the Bronze Boot as its third highest scorer. Neymar starred for Brazil when his home country hosted the 2014 World Cup, scoring four goals in five games before he was knocked out of the competition with a fractured vertebra in the quarterfinals. Without the team’s most important player, Brazil lost by a shocking 7–1 margin to eventual-champion Germany in the semifinals. Despite his early exit from the tournament, Neymar won the Bronze Boot. At the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games , he led the Brazilian men’s side to its first Olympic gold medal, scoring the winning penalty in extra time of the final match against Germany.

Neymar scored two goals at the 2018 World Cup but was as well-known for his many theatrical embellishments of fouls during that tournament (Neymar was the most-fouled player in the event) as for his on-field play. Brazil’s World Cup appearance ended with a quarterfinal loss to Belgium. During the 2022 World Cup , Neymar suffered an ankle injury and was forced to miss several games. In the quarterfinal match against Croatia, he scored his 77th international goal. However, Brazil lost in a penalty shootout.

Off field, Neymar experienced legal troubles. In 2012 a Brazilian court ordered him and his father to pay substantial back taxes from 2007 to 2008. An appeal was denied in 2016, and that year a Brazilian court additionally found Neymar guilty of having falsified documents in order to avoid paying taxes on income received in 2011–13. The player and his father were also called into Spanish court after an investment fund that had sponsored him alleged that it had been defrauded during his 2013 transfer to Barcelona.

Soccer superstar Neymar Jr. lived up to the lofty expectations of his youth, having played for FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain and winning an Olympic gold medal for Brazil.

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Who Is Neymar?

Quick facts, early life as a soccer prodigy, pro career: santos fc, fc barcelona, psg, and al-hilal, brazil national team, son and daughter, controversies.

1992-present

Neymar News: Joins Saudi Arabian Club Al-Hilal

Soccer superstar Neymar signed a two-year contract to join Al-Hilal, a Saudi Arabian club, completing a deal with Paris Saint-Germain that first surfaced on August 13. The 31-year-old forward played for PSG for six seasons. “I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am HILALI,” Neymar posted on his social media accounts August 15.

Brazilian soccer player Neymar drew attention for his impressive athletic abilities at an early age. He emerged as a star for Santos FC as a teenager, winning four straight Player of the Year awards while becoming one of Brazil’s most popular public figures. Neymar made the leap to Europe to join FC Barcelona for the start of the 2013-14 season and became a fixture for a club that claimed numerous domestic and international titles. After leading the Brazilian men to their first Olympic gold medal in 2016, the star forward transferred to France’s Paris Saint-Germain the following year. He now plays for Al-Hilal, a Saudi Arabian club.

FULL NAME: Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. BORN: February 5, 1992 BIRTHPLACE: Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil CHILDREN: Davi ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius

Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil. The son of a former professional soccer player, Neymar followed in his father’s footsteps by playing street games and futsal, an indoor version of the game. He joined the Portuguesa Santista youth club in 1999, and within a few years was one of the most highly regarded young talents in the country.

Neymar joined the youth system of Santos FC at age 11. News of his abilities spread to Europe, and he was offered the chance to continue his development with Real Madrid C.F. at age 14, but the Santos team’s management reportedly convinced Neymar to stay put with a large bonus.

Following in the footsteps of Pelé who started his career at Santos FC, Neymar made his professional debut for the club in 2009 and lived up to the hype by earning the league’s Best Young Player award. He emerged as a full-blown star in 2010, helping Santos claim the league and Copa do Brasil championships en route to the first of three straight scoring titles and four straight Player of the Year awards. That season he also made his debut for the senior national team and debuted a Mohawk-style haircut, which quickly became popular among younger fans.

In 2011, the flashy forward produced what would be voted the FIFA Goal of the Year and led Santos to its first Copa Libertadores championship in 48 years. However, he also began to experience the backlash that accompanies fame, including media scolding him for fathering a son out of wedlock.

Neymar scored his 100 th professional goal on his 20 th birthday in 2012 and finished the year with a career-best total of 43. That year, Santos also won its third straight league title. In 2013, Neymar became the first Brazilian athlete to grace the cover of Time with his appearance on the March 4 issue.

FC Barcelona

In May 2013, Neymar announced he was making the leap to Europe with a transfer to FC Barcelona, a powerful club that at the time featured superstar Argentine striker Lionel Messi and several members of the Spanish national team.

Neymar lived up to his billing with Barcelona, giving the loaded Spanish club yet another gifted all-around talent. He scored an amazing 39 goals during the 2014-15 season, helping the club achieve the coveted treble by claiming league, domestic cup, and European Cup titles. The following year, one week after Barcelona became La Liga champs, he scored in extra time to propel the club to another Copa Del Rey title.

Paris Saint-Germain

Following a controversial transfer and a world record deal of 222 million euros, Neymar began playing for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017. His tenure with the French club got off to a promising start, before he suffered the broken foot that ended his season after 30 games. Neymar then suffered another foot injury the following season, though he recovered in time to help his club win the Ligue 1 title.

Already known for his theatrics on the pitch, Neymar came under fire for his behavior during his second season with PSG. He criticized the officials following a Champions League loss to Manchester United in March, drawing a three-game suspension for upcoming Champions League play. The following month, after another loss, Neymar got into an altercation with a fan who was insulting the PSG players.

Neymar and teammate Kylian Mbappé generated some traction over the seasons, and expectations soared in 2021 when Messi joined the squad. However, PSG still hasn’t won the Champions League title.

To start the 2023-24 season, Neymar missed PSG’s August season opener in the French league due to illness. The next day, reports surfaced about a deal to send the Brazilian to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal club. The trade was executed within days. Neymar left PSG as its fourth all-time highest scorer, with 118 goals in 173 matches.

On August 15, 2023, Neymar joined Al-Hilal, a club based in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. He joins Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Arabian league on a two-year contract. Exact terms haven’t been released, but early reports indicate Al-Hilal is paying a transfer fee between 80 million and 160 million euros ($102 million to $175 million). Both are a considerable jump down from the record-setting 222 million euros PSG paid to acquire the forward from Barcelona in 2017. ESPN reports Neymar’s annual salary will be around $100 million.

Al-Hilal’s next game is on August 19. No word on whether Neymar will take the field in his new blue and white uniform.

Neymar has played for the Brazilian national team since August 2010. He’s tied with Pelé as the country’s leading goal scorer, with with 77 goals in 124 games.

He was criticized for his play during Brazil’s quarterfinals loss in the 2011 Copa America tournament. In 2012, the young star again was subject to criticism when Brazil lost the 2012 Summer Olympics gold-medal game to an underdog Mexico team. Soon afterward, the wunderkind silenced a share of his critics by leading Brazil to victory in the 2013 Confederations Cup, indicating his readiness to shoulder bigger expectations on the world stage.

2014 World Cup Injury

Neymar’s performance shined in the 2014 World Cup on his home turf of Brazil but was cut short before the finals. On July 4, minutes before Brazil won its quarterfinal match against Colombia, Neymar was carried from the field in a stretcher in tears of agony after breaking a bone in his back resulting from a challenge by Colombia’s defender Juan Zuniga. With their star player sidelined, Brazil’s hope for the World Cup title was dashed when they lost their semifinal match to Germany, 7-1.

2016 Olympics and 2018 World Cup

For all his individual brilliance, Neymar still faced the question of whether he could lift his teammates to glory on the international stage. He was suspended during the 2015 Copa America, effectively squashing Brazil’s chances of making an extended run. The following year, he sat out the tournament to stay rested and healthy for the 2016 Rio Olympics, a move that worked wonders: The star player delivered several key goals to propel his team forward, before knocking home the winning penalty kick to give Brazil its first men’s soccer gold medal.

The Brazilians again faced high expectations heading into the 2018 World Cup, but Neymar’s return from a broken foot ultimately wasn’t enough, as a tight quarterfinal match against Belgium ended with a 2-1 loss.

2022 World Cup

Although Brazil won back-to-back olympic gold with its dominant performance at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, Neymar wasn’t there to claim part of the credit. PSG denied him the necessary permission to compete, citing the upcoming Euro 2020 and Copa America tournaments.

Neymar did take the field in a Brazil uniform for the 2022 World Cup. The squad tied with Switzerland to advance from the group stage, then handed South Korea a 4-1 loss to reach the quarterfinals. The close match against Croatia went to a penalty shootout, with the European team emerging victorious. “I am psychologically destroyed,” Neymar shared on social media later. “It is definitely the defeat which has hurt me the most, which left me paralyzed for 10 minutes after the match, after which I burst into tears without being able to stop.”

Neymar has one son, David “Davi” Lucca, and is expecting a daughter. Davi was born in August 2011 to Neymar and his ex-girlfriend Carolina Dantas. In April 2023, Neymar and his girlfriend Bruna Biancardi announced they are expecting. In June, they shared they are having a daughter.

Neymar’s April 2019 physical altercation with a fan who was insulting PSG players isn’t his only off-pitch controversy.

Late that May, as Neymar was in Brazil preparing for the Copa America, Brazilian model Najila Trindade accused the soccer star of raping her in a Paris hotel room earlier in the month. Proclaiming his innocence, Neymar released a series of private messages and intimate photos between them to demonstrate that their relations were consensual. Brazilian authorities investigated but didn’t find enough evidence to charge the soccer star. However, Trindade was charged with procedural fraud for leveling the complaint and subsequently acquitted in November 2020.

Meanwhile, Neymar had been accused of another sexual assault, this time by a Nike employee. According to the woman, an intoxicated Neymar tried to force her to perform oral sex in a New York City hotel room, tried to block her from leaving, and then chased her down the hallway. The incident happened in 2016, though it didn’t go public until May 2021 when The Wall Street Journal reported Neymar’s refusal to cooperate in an investigation led to the termination of his Nike sponsorship in 2020. Neymar denied the allegations and said his deal ended for commercial reasons.

• Everything in my life has happened very early, personally and professionally. I’m always learning; I have to.

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Neymar Jr. Biography, Childhood, Career, Life, Facts

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (born Feb 5, 1992), nicknamed ‘Juninho’, is a Brazilian professional football player. He plays forward for Paris Saint-Germain (French Club) and the Brazilian National team. Brazil is known to have produced some of the best players, the game of football has ever seen. From the legendary Pele, the sleek and skilful Ronaldo to the energetic and dynamic Ronaldinho, Brazil got it all. Well, the aye days of these acts are long gone, but Brazil still has one of the best in the game proving his worth to the world showing what sort of new-age player he is. In our Neymar Jr. biography facts, childhood, career and personal life, we tell you all that you need to know about the star as he sets the pace of football in the 21 st century.

Other highlights includes Neymar Jr’s accomplishments, highlights and awards.

Table of Contents

Neymar Jr Biography Quick Facts, Age

Below are some of the biography quick facts that you should know about Neymar Jr.

Neymar Jr Childhood and Early Life

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior was born on February 5, 1992, to his father, Neymar Santos Sr and his mother, Nadine Santos at Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Neymar Jr. passion for football probably was ignited by his father who is an ex-footballer, his father plays a prominent role in Neymar Jr’s life, managing his finances as well as offering practical advice. Neymar was a fan of futsal as well as football at a tender age. Neymar Jr. relocated to Sao Vicente in 2003. At Sao Vincente, Neymar began playing youth football with Portuguesa Santista before moving on to Santos FC. Neymar had a successful run at Santos which saw his paycheck increase, thus improving his family’s standard of living. When he turned 17, Neymar Jr. signed his first professional contract. He was promoted to Santos FC first team and signed his first sponsorship deal.

Neymar Jr Club Career

Santos (2003–2013).

Neymar began playing for Santos youth academy in 2003 when he was 11.

When he turned 14, Neymar travelled to Spain to play for Madrid Youth team during the time players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and lot more played for the team, he finally made his professional début for Santos at age 17, in a game against Oeste where he was brought in the last thirty minutes of the game. Neymar scored 14 goals in his début season for Santos first team, an impressive one for a 17-year old. Neymar was a sensation for the Brazilian league winning lots of awards, including the 2011 Puskas Award, 2011 South American Footballer of the Year, he also was a finalist in the 2012 Puskas Award and also defended his South American Footballer of the Year Award, claiming it for a second consecutive time in 2012.

FC Barcelona (2013–2017)

Neymar signed a five-year deal with Barcelona, neither the transfer fee nor the personal terms of the deal were revealed. Neymar was officially unveiled on June 3, 2013, by Barcelona after passing a medical test and signing the contract which was set to keep him at Camp Nou until June 2018. Neymar was present in Barcelona home ground to a record turnout of 56,500 fans for a Brazilian player. Barcelona club vice-president indicated that Neymar transfer fee was 57.1 million euros and his release clause set at 190 million euros.

Neymar’s transfer to Camp Nou brought a lot of excitement, but it also had some challenges attached in January 2014, the prosecutor’s office in Madrid, began investigations into the amount paid by Barcelona for Neymar’s transfer. Documents submitted to authorities indicated contradictory details. The investigation led to the resignation of club’s president on the 23 rd of January 2014. The next day, it was revealed that Barcelona paid 86.2 million euros for Neymar’s transfer. Neymar’s parent received 40 million euros from the transfer fee. Barcelona was later charged with tax fraud. Aside from that, Neymar had a successful campaign with Barcelona, forging an attacking trio with teammates Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, dubbed “MSN” an acronym for Messi, Suarez and Neymar.

During his time with Barcelona, Neymar emerged as one of the three finalists for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which he came third. The attacking trio Neymar forge with his teammates proved to be beneficial to Barcelona as well as Neymar’s career as the trio finished 2015 with season with 122 goals and surpassed that in their 2016 campaign with 131 goals.

PSG (2017–present)

On August 3, 2017, Neymar shocked the world with his 222 million euros transfer to French giants Paris Saint-Germain. The transfer had a string of issues as Barcelona requested payment of club bonuses, damages worth 8.5 million euros as well as 10% arrears. PSG was requested to pay the aforementioned fees. Despite all this Neymar debuted for PSG and continued to continue in his successful form. He forged a new attacking trio with teammates Kylian Mbappe and Edison Cavani. Neymar had continued to increase his worth with wonderful performances.

Neymar Jr National Team Career

Despite calls for Neymar to be included in the 2010 World Cup squad due to his performances for the U-17 team at the 2009 U-17 World Cup, he was omitted. He, however, made his début for the Brazil Senior team in July, in a friendly match against the United State.

In the 2014 World Cup on home soil, Neymar was expected to lead the Brazilian team to the tournament victory, but that was cut short after he was injured in a quarterfinal match against Colombia. Brazil went on to be knocked out of the tournament. But Neymar received the bronze boot for being the third highest goal scorer. He was also shortlisted in the 10-man list for FIFA’s Golden Ball award. Neymar was also named to the World Cup All Star XI.

After being enlisted to be part of the three-over 23 players in the Brazilian team to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro summer Olympics, Neymar led Brazil to Olympic Gold on home soil. Despite his success, Neymar was criticized for his behaviour on and off the pitch by ex-brazil players. He was also described as not worthy of the team’s captaincy. After the tournament, Neymar renounced his captaincy.

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Neymar was shortlisted as one of the players. Neymar was heavily criticized for play-acting and continual falling, BBC sport wrote with regard Neymar “despite his good performance, there is still a sense that he remains widely unpopular among neutrals due to his petulance and the play-acting”. Brazilian newspaper O’Globo wrote “Neymar has charmed Brazil, but annoyed the world” Brazil were eliminated out of the world cup in the quarter-finals.

Neymar Jr Personal Life

• Neymar has a son, Davi Lucca with his ex-girlfriend Carolina Dantas.
• He also has a close relationship with his sister Rafaella Beckran, tattooing her face on his arm, while she tattooed his eyes on her arm. Neymar is a Christian.
• He pays the 10% tithes and calls Kaka his religious role model.
• He organizes a charity match with Brazilian footballer Nene in Nene’s hometown of Jundiai, to raise food for needy families.
• Neymar began signing sponsorships deals at the age of 17. In March 2011, he signed an 11-year contract with American sportswear company Nike. Neymar has signed sponsorships deals with Volkswagen, Unilever, Santander, Lupo and many more.
• In March 2011, Neymar was paid $2-4 million by Panasonic for his services.
• Neymar is ranked the third highest paid footballer in 2018, with an earning of $95 million.
• He stared in 2014 adverts for Beats with global stars, Thierry Henry and Luis Suarez.
• He appeared as himself in the 2016 movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
• Neymar was included in Time magazine’s list of influential personalities in April 2017.

Neymar Jr Achievements and Awards

Tournaments won.

• Supercopa (2013/14)
• Copa del Rey (14/15, 15/16, 16/17)
• Coupe de la Ligue (17/18)
• Coupe de France (17/18)
• Ligue 1 (17/18)
• Brazilian Cup (2010)
• FIFA Club World Cup (2012, 2015)
• Confederation Cup (2013)
• Under-20 South American Championship Winner (2011)
• UEFA Supercup (2015/16)
• Olympic gold (2016)
• Recopa Sudamericana (2011/12)
• Copa Libertadores (2010/11)
• Champions League Winner (2014/15)
• Laliga (2014/15, 2015/16)
• UEFA Champions League (2014/15)

Individual Awards

• UEFA Champions League Top Goalscorer (2015)
• South America Footballer of the Year (2011, 2012)
• Confederation Cup Golden Ball (2013)
• Brazil Footballer of the Year (2011)

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Neymar Biography

Birthday: February 5 , 1992 ( Aquarius )

Born In: State of São Paulo, Brazil

Recommended For You

Girlfriend: Carolina Dantas

Also Known As: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior

Age: 32 Years , 32 Year Old Males

father: Neymar da Silva Sr

mother: Nadine Santos

siblings: Rafaella Beckran

children: Davi Lucca, David Lucca da Silva

Born Country: Brazil

Football Players Brazilian Men

Height: 5'9" (175 cm ), 5'9" Males

You wanted to know

What teams has neymar played for.

Neymar has played for Santos in Brazil, Barcelona in Spain, and Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Has Neymar won the FIFA World Cup?

Neymar was a part of the Brazil squad that won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013, but he has not won the FIFA World Cup yet.

What is Neymar's playing style on the field?

Neymar is known for his exceptional dribbling skills, flair, creativity, and ability to score goals as an attacking forward.

How many times has Neymar been named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI?

Neymar has been named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI five times in his career, recognizing him as one of the best players in the world.

Recommended Lists:

Neymar is known for his love of tattoos and has several on his body, each with its own special meaning.

Neymar is an avid video game enthusiast and has his own custom-designed gaming room in his house.

Neymar has a soft spot for animals and has several pets, including dogs and a pet parrot named Jojo.

Neymar is a talented musician and can play both the guitar and the drums.

Neymar is a big fan of fashion and often showcases his unique style off the field, collaborating with various designers and brands.

See the events in life of Neymar in Chronological Order

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Olympic football gold had always eluded Brazil, until Rio 2016 that is, when an inspirational Neymar captained A Seleção to a long-awaited victory over Germany in the final. The Barcelona star sealed the title himself, scoring the winning penalty in the shootout to send a nation wild. 

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How Neymar Has Come to Embody Soccer's Modern Age

• Author: Jonathan Wilson

On Saturday, Neymar turns 30. The boy prince will be no more. That “Jr.” after his name to distinguish him from his father will seem increasingly incongruous. In theory, he will be a mature player, starting to slow down, beginning to rethink his game. Yet it all seems very sudden. He remains a prisoner of his potential, a kid of abundant talent; the most expensive player in the world and yet somehow unfulfilled. With Brazil, he has won the Confederations Cup and Olympic gold, but not the Copa América or the World Cup. He has won a Champions League with Barcelona, but his attempts to lead PSG to the success it so craves in the competition have so far come to nothing. And, perhaps most importantly for a player who is extremely conscious of his brand, he has not yet won the Ballon d’Or.

The injuries are beginning to mount up. Neymar has started running again as PSG prepares for its Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid, but it is far from clear he will be fit for the opening leg. That has been the story far too often. As he enters the final phase of his career, which could yet go on for five years or more despite his hints that Qatar 2022 may be his last World Cup, the possibility looms ever larger that he will never quite match the expectations of his youth.

As a great who has been burdened by his talent, plucked at by those expectations of his homeland and the demands of celebrity; someone who has been indulged almost since he first became a footballer; someone whose transfers torpedoed Barcelona and initiated the boom-and-bust cycle of the past four years, it is Neymar, more than anybody else who embodies the age. Here are 10 key games that have defined his career to this point and demonstrate just that:

Imago Images (3)

June 11, 2011:  Santos 2, Peñarol 1, Copa Libertadores final second leg; Pacaembu, São Paulo, Brazil

Two minutes before halftime in the second leg of the Libertadores final, Arouca made a diagonal run across the field, slipped two challenges and, when a third nudged the ball away from him, recovered to slide a ball into the path of Neymar, arriving from the left. Neymar had disappointed in the first leg, used on the right where he had been stifled by the hulking fullback Darío Rodríguez. Coming in from the left, though, was his position, so much so that he had developed what was almost a trademark finish, shaping to go across the keeper into the far corner only to drag the ball in at the near post. He did the same again here. Perhaps Sebastian Sosa, the Peñarol goalkeeper, was slow to get down, but at least in part that was because Neymar had taken the chance so early, stroking his shot in at the near post. Santos went on to win to lift the Copa Libertadores trophy for the first time since Pelé’s side had done so in 1963. For Neymar, that game was an anointing.

The son of a footballer, Neymar had been taken on by Santos at 11 and had developed a close friendship with creative midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso, who was two years his senior. On the pitch, they formed a devastating partnership. Ganso made his full debut for Santos in 2008, and Neymar's came the following March; together they were the stars of a rising team. Neymar’s first goal came in his second game when he was 17. A month later, he scored the winner against Palmeiras in the first leg of the Campeonato Paulista semifinal. Santos, though, lost in the final.

Santos won the Paulista the following year, with Neymar named player of the tournament. But problems were emerging. Neymar missed a penalty in the final of that year’s Copa do Brasil, and, although Santos won the game, coach Dorival Júnior instructed Neymar not to take the penalty after he had been fouled in the box in a league game soon after. Furious, Neymar had to be placated by a linesman, turned his back on the penalty and engaged in a public row with his captain. But when Dorival called for him to be suspended for two weeks, the board sacked him. If there was a time when Neymar was not indulged, it was a long time ago.

Given what happened in 2011, perhaps the board had been right to take his side. Not only did Santos retain the Paulista and win the Libertadores, but Neymar won the Puskás Award for a solo goal scored in a 5–4 defeat to Flamengo—a game coincidentally attended by a fleet of European journalists being shown Brazil’s facilities for the '14 World Cup, which helped cement his global reputation—and was named South American Player of the Year.

July 17, 2011:  Brazil 0, Paraguay 0 (Paraguay 2–0 on PKs), Copa América quarterfinals; Estadio Ciudad de la Plata, La Plata, Argentina

The first leg of the Libertadores final had been a warning. What happened in Argentina in the weeks that followed was the revelation of a major problem that has yet to be fully resolved. Neymar came into the Copa América under extraordinary pressure: he hadn’t just won the Libertadores with Pelé’s former club, he was being hyped as the new Pelé. As Argentina reveled in the astonishing ability of Lionel Messi, Brazil wanted its own young star.

After the gloom of Dunga’s (first) reign as Brazil manager, of the grinding football that had led to a quarterfinal exit at the 2010 World Cup, all the talk was of Mano Menezes restoring the ideals of joga bonito , preparing for a home World Cup with a young squad based around Neymar, Ganso and Alexandre Pato, all 21 or under. But there was also Robinho, then 27, a reminder of boy wonders past, and how youthful promise only occasionally delivers.

But Brazil never got the balance right in that Copa América. If it kept a clean sheet, it couldn’t score, and if it scored it also conceded. In the first game, a 0–0 draw against Venezuela, Neymar made little impression against an unheralded Twente right back, Roberto Rosales. Dario Verón, an aggressive but limited fullback more often used as a central defender, got the better of him in a 2–2 draw against Paraguay. Neymar had a rather better time against Ecuador, scoring twice in a 4–2 win, but then he was up against Paraguay again in the quarterfinal.

Verón bullied him once more. Neymar, it had become obvious, struggled against physical defending. Again and again, he went down, appealing vainly to the referee. But where officials in the Brazilian league may have been inclined to protect him, the Argentinian Sergio Pezzotta was not. The more frustrated he became, the more Neymar tried to transform the game himself and the worse his decision-making became. He ended up sulking into irrelevance and being substituted after 80 minutes. After a 0–0 draw, Brazil lost on penalties.

UOL called Neymar “complacent” and ranked him as the worst player on the pitch, while former player Walter Casagrande condemned his individualistic nature on Globo . “It’s always me, me, me with him,” he said. “He’s forgotten or maybe he never knew that football is a collective activity.”

July 4, 2014:  Brazil 2, Colombia 1, World Cup quarterfinals; Estadio Castelão, Fortaleza, Brazil

It was supposed to be Brazil’s World Cup. It was supposed to put right the Maracanazo and all the disappointments of 1950. It was supposed to be Neymar’s coronation. Initially, all went well. Brazil had won the Confederations Cup in 2013 in a tournament marked by explosions of patriotic pride, notably the passionate a cappella pre-match renditions of the national anthem.

But by 2014, the mood had soured. There were anti-government demonstrations and the World Cup had come to be seen as emblematic of widespread corruption. But the football went well, for a time. Neymar was much praised after an opening 3–1 win over Croatia in which he scored twice, one on a penalty. The concerns over whether the team was too centered on him, whether Oscar, Hulk and Fred ended up merely as the supporting cast, were drowned out by the excitement of Brazil winning in Brazil. When Mexico shut Brazil out in the second game, it was said to be down to the excellence of its keeper Guillermo Ochoa. Two more goals for Neymar in a 4–1 win over a disappointing Cameroon seemed to provide the point.

Imago Images

But there was an odd sense in Brazil during that tournament, a frenzied nationalism that always felt fragile. A penalty shootout win over Chile in the last 16 exposed the weaknesses in the side—Neymar, of course, scored Brazil’s fifth penalty. And then came Colombia and a brutal quarterfinal. The post-match narrative tended to focus on Colombia’s targeting of Neymar, culminating in the barge on him by Juan Camilo Zúñiga that fractured his vertebra and put him out of the World Cup. And Colombia was guilty, but so too was Brazil, who also targeted James Rodríguez. Indeed, of 58 fouls in that game, only 21 were committed by Colombia.

Brazil won 2–1, but for all the desire to believe in the joga bonito myth, it had long since vanished. This was grim, cynical football, and the loss of Neymar only made it worse. Brazil suffered a collective hysteria. Newspapers were printed with black edges. Neymar seemed the most reasonable person in the country as he gave a measured video statement. Before the semifinal, as the players lined up for the anthems, David Luiz brandished a Neymar shirt as though this were some sort of memorial for a fallen giant rather than a World Cup semifinal. Playing on the edge of emotion, Brazil lost all discipline and, 5–0 down after half an hour, lost 7–1 to Germany.

That wasn’t Neymar’s fault, of course. But it did say a lot about the pressure he is under and the over-reliance of the Brazil national team upon him.

June 6, 2015:  Barcelona 3, Juventus 1, Champions League final; Olympiastadion, Berlin

Neymar left Santos in 2013 for a fee initially reported as €57.1 million, although by the following January, investigations from the Spanish tax authorities had revealed the actual figure was €86.2 million with €45 million going directly to Neymar’s parents. The scandal led to the resignation of Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu stepping into the role—which, in some ways, is where it all began to go wrong for Barcelona.

On the pitch, Neymar took a little time to adapt. He scored only nine league goals in that first season, and there was a sense that physically he needed to bulk up for the rigors of the European game. Barça won nothing in 2013-14, but the arrival of Luis Suárez from Liverpool that summer changed everything. It wasn’t an immediate success, and in January '15 there was a clear possibility that Luis Enrique could be dismissed as manager. But by the end of that season, the so-called MSN (Messi-Suárez-Neymar) front line had clicked and Barça was playing a style that successfully combined three enormous individual talents with the complex patterns that had defined the club under Pep Guardiola.

Barça won the league and the Copa del Rey, but its best football came in the Champions League. Neymar scored three times across the two legs of the quarterfinal as PSG was dismissed 5–1 on aggregate, and he scored in both legs of a convincing semifinal win over Bayern. Neymar was involved in the build-up to Ivan Rakitić’s early opener in the final and then completed a 3–1 win with an injury-time goal.

It seemed as though Barcelona had achieved a synthesis between the two opposing schools of football— juego de posición and the desire for individuals who could ensure the system never became predictable. And it helped that the front three got on so well; even now they share a WhatsApp group chat. But age, ego and poor leadership were waiting.

June 17, 2015:  Brazil 0, Colombia 1, Copa América group stage; Estadio Monumental David Arellana, Santiago, Chile

It did not resonate in the way the 7–1 had, but this defeat was no less a disgrace—worse, in many ways, as it was only against Colombia, only in a group stage. Neymar, it’s fair to say, played as though he had a point to prove after the previous year’s World Cup, but Neymar playing like a man on a mission only heightens his tendency to neglect team structures, and the result was a Brazil that was petulant, complacent and unimaginative.

Colombia, of course, set out to wind Neymar up. Who would not have done the same with a player so eminently wind-upable? Early on, Juan Cuadrado bundled him off the ball with a brusque shoulder charge, and Zuñiga seemed to take particular delight in sashaying past him after dispossessing him in the first half. By the end of the first half, he was close to the edge. Before halftime, Neymar was booked for a handball, grabbed referee Enrique Osses by the shoulder and then cuffed Cuadrado before fisting the ball away in frustration.

The end of the half perhaps saved him from dismissal, but not at full time. As the final whistle went, Neymar unleashed a shot that smacked Pablo Armero in the face. Jeison Murillo, who had scored the only goal of the game, remonstrated, to which Neymar responded with a flicked backward headbutt. Carlos Bacca charged over and shoved Neymar, and they were sent off. Amid the melee that ensued, Neymar continued to abuse the referee, eventually earning himself a four-game ban.

“The referees have to respect Neymar because he is always getting hit,” said Willian. But that encapsulated the problem. In Dunga’s Brazil, everything fed through Neymar, so, of course, he was subjected to the physical attention of opponents. That is how it has always been for great forwards, and the best of them learn to deal with that. Neymar, at that stage of his career, struggled and too often allowed himself to be wound up, either sulking or retaliating. As in the World Cup game, Brazil committed more fouls than Colombia. The victim myth is a delusion and one that has too often been used to excuse Neymar.

Brazil went through to the knockouts but again was eliminated by Paraguay in the quarterfinals.

Aug. 20, 2016:  Brazil 1, Germany 1 (Brazil 5-4 on PKs), men’s Olympic gold medal game; Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

Brazil long had an obsession with the Olympic soccer gold medal, the one major international tournament it had never won. It had also had an obsession with winning a tournament at home after the trauma of losing out in the World Cup to Uruguay in 1950 and then the humiliating 7–1 defeat to Germany in the World Cup semifinal in 2014. Brazil took the '16 Olympics, with its final at the Maracanã, far more seriously than anybody else, even to the extent of sending a second-string side to the U.S. for the Copa América Centenario.

And Neymar triumphed at home, just as he had in the Confederations Cup in 2013. He opened the scoring in the quarterfinal against his bête noire, Colombia. He got an early goal and a late penalty in the 6–0 rout of Honduras in the semifinal. Then came Germany in the final, and a chance to avenge the 7–1. Neymar put Brazil ahead with a fine free kick, but Max Meyer leveled and the game went to penalties. Neymar scored the decisive kick. It was his triumph, and in Brazil, it was celebrated wildly.

But most of the football world shrugged. Neymar had done what his country demanded, but the Olympics is largely a U-23 tournament, not elite-level football.

March 8, 2017:  Barcelona 6, PSG 1, Champions League last 16; Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

It was the greatest comeback in European history: Down 4–0 after the first leg, Barcelona came back to advance, despite conceding an away goal that seemed to have ended the tie. It went ahead in the third minute through Suárez, and an own goal from Layvin Kurzawa made it 2–0 five minutes before halftime. When Neymar was fouled five minutes into the second half, Messi converted a penalty that suddenly and decisively swung the momentum in Barça’s favor.

But an Edinson Cavani goal just after the hour mark seemed to have made Barça’s task too great; having needed one goal to take the tie to extra time, it suddenly needed three to win. When Neymar swept in an 88th-minute free-kick, it seemed largely academic. But then he converted a 91st-minute penalty and, as PSG collapsed, he sent in the cross from which Sergi Roberto made it 6–1 on the night, 6–5 on aggregate. It was a euphoric moment and was celebrated as such. Neymar had not only been brilliant but almost by force of will had dragged Barça into the quarterfinal when all had seemed lost.

There was, though, an underlying point, which was that the only reason Barça had to mount the comeback was that it had been so thoroughly outplayed in the first leg. Its midfield was completely overrun. True, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta were past their best, and André Gomes never looked entirely comfortable at the club, but the issue wasn’t so much the midfield as the fact that the midfield was left exposed—against top-class sides—by that front three, which as a unit was working less than it had two years earlier.

Although Barça did go through, it was hammered 3–0 by Juventus in the following round. The problem is one Barça has yet to get over, which is why its recent European history, at least until last year’s financial meltdown, has been of sudden big defeats—against PSG again, Roma, Liverpool and Bayern. By then, though, Neymar was gone.

Xavier Laine/Getty Images

Aug. 13, 2017:  Guingamp 0, PSG 3, Ligue 1; Stade de Roudourou, Guingamp, France

PSG wanted a big signing, somebody ready to establish the club as not just one of the elite, but above the elite. Paying €222 million to trigger Neymar’s release clause was a major statement, more than doubling the previous world transfer record—the first time since the 1890s it had increased by such a proportion in one step.

Neymar liked the idea of emerging from Messi’s shadow. Then, perhaps, he could win the Ballon d’Or. His father, also his agent, liked the money that was on offer. And the marketing people at PSG and Nike liked the idea of PSG signing a big-name Brazilian. PSG’s away shirt was changed to yellow in celebration of the union. Fans celebrated a major signing, waiting for Neymar at the airport and then queuing for hours to buy shirts. A reported 120,000 replica Neymar shirts were sold in his first month at the club. He was the glamorous savior coming to achieve PSG’s ambition of winning the Champions League, something it had failed to do in the six years since the takeover by Qatar.

And then came the reality. As Barcelona played Real Madrid, Neymar made his debut in a small town in Brittany with a population of around 7,000. He was, hardly surprisingly, given some rough treatment by defenders, but PSG was superior. He pressured a defender into an own goal. He played a brilliant pass to set up a second for Cavani. He knocked in a late third to complete what would widely be described as a perfect debut. But it was an empty triumph against players far below his level. He scored 19 goals in the league that season, but many of them felt cheap, against teams whose only way to stop him was to kick him.

PSG won a domestic treble that season, but Neymar wasn’t involved in the final three months of it, having fractured a metatarsal in a victory over Marseille in February. He played in the first leg of PSG’s 5–2 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League. And so the pattern was set: domestic success and continental failure, everything undermined by a series of injuries that have meant he has never played more than 20 league games in a season for PSG.

But at the same time, his departure had consequences for Barcelona. It felt humiliated to have lost the star it thought would be a natural successor to Messi. It had €222 million to burn and a perceived need to bring in stars to appease furious fans and assuage the bruised egos of its directors. And so it bought Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool (allowing Jürgen Klopp’s side to complete its ascent by signing Virgil van Dijk and Alisson with the proceeds) and Ousmane Dembélé from Borussia Dortmund.

Both signings largely failed and, as Barça struggled to replace aging stalwarts, the shortcomings of the Bartomeu regime became obvious. The club floundered first in a world of fees it had helped to inflate, and then in the contracting economic environment of the pandemic. When Bartomeu finally resigned last year, club debts stood at €1.3 billion.

July 6, 2018:  Brazil 1, Belgium 2, World Cup quarterfinals; Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia

Kazan, pretending it is closer to Moscow than it is, is in the wrong time zone, which means that dawn breaks at around 2:30 a.m. The first glimmers of light were just breaking in the sky over the Kazan Arena as Brazil left after a quarterfinal defeat to Belgium. As the other players got onto the team bus, Neymar stood alone in the parking lot, silhouetted against the pale dawn, head bowed. In that tableau, as the vast LED display that fronts the stadium flickered behind him, the burden on a man who carries the expectations of his nation was clear.

For Neymar, it had been another turbulent World Cup. There had been a late goal against Costa Rica in a group stage in which he was occasionally inspired, but too often petulant, as though outraged that opponents had the temerity to try to stop him. When things went badly, he tried to do everything himself, and again and again, he ended up running into traffic and diving, inspiring the wrong kind of internet trend . Against Mexico in the last 16, both those aspects of his game were on show.

There was a brilliant first goal, turned in by Neymar at the back post after his back-heel had released Willian, and he set up the late second for Roberto Firmino with a wayward shot. But in between, there was a moment of disgraceful simulation as he writhed on the touchline, a foot from the linesman after Miguel Layun had tried to take the ball from between his ankles and had, perhaps, trodden on him.

In the quarterfinal, Neymar was far less prominent, taken out of the game by Belgium’s decision to field Romelu Lukaku wide on the right in a 4-3-3 formation. With Marouane Fellaini dominating Coutinho on Brazil's left, Thomas Meunier was able to call Neymar’s bluff, tearing forward from fullback unopposed. This is what can happen with a player who is intermittent in the fulfillment of his defensive duties. Belgium, breaking dangerously down the right, won 2–1, and Neymar was out of another World Cup.

To suggest the exit was his fault would be absurd, but equally, it’s impossible not to think that Brazil’s dependency upon him was not a factor in its general sluggishness and its inability to react quickly once it became clear that the tactical battle was being lost.

Peter Schatz/Imago Images

Aug. 23, 2020:  PSG 0, Bayern Munich 1, Champions League final; Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal 

Perhaps it will be as close as Neymar ever comes to a Champions League title at PSG. It is a club seemingly caught in the classic bind of celebrity. It had bought famous players and so it had to play them because that was what excited the fans. But while a celebrity forward line might be good at bullying Angers or Troyes, it risks leaving its midfield exposed against high-class opposition. Again and again, PSG had been undone by that issue in the competition it desperately wanted to win.

But in 2020, as COVID-19 restricted the latter stages to single-leg ties, PSG seemed, under Thomas Tuchel, to have found a way of balancing a less than defensively responsible front three with a hard-working midfield. Neymar was the key in turning a tough quarterfinal comeback vs. Atalanta . RB Leipzig was swept aside in the semis. In the final, Neymar was denied midway through the first half by the legs of Manuel Neuer and then struggled to impose himself, forced too deep by the Bayern press. The only goal of the game was scored by Kingsley Coman, a PSG academy graduate—exactly the sort of player forced out of the club by the focus on imported glamour.

And so what remains? Three French league titles and three French cups in four years are barely a minimum requirement for a club of PSG’s resources in a moderate league. Former managers have spoken of the cliques and egos in the dressing room. When Unai Emery was in charge, Neymar organized a three-day birthday party and invited his coach to come and cut the cake. PSG may effectively be unmanageable, hoping barely organized talent is enough. Cristiano Ronaldo got away with that at Real Madrid because he had in Karim Benzema and Ángel Di María two players who sublimated their games to his needs and, in Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić a brilliantly balanced midfield that could control games. Neymar has nothing like that support at PSG, where it could be argued now that he is third-fiddle to Kylian Mbappé and Messi.

He is just turning 30. There is still time, and he has already won a lot, certainly more than most. The early hype was absurd, and if he has not lived up to it, it is largely because nobody could have. The expectation in Brazil has been counterproductive. But equally, the decision to leave Barça for PSG meant that in his peak years he was playing the bulk of his football in a league that was not a challenge for him and for a club whose contradictions inhibit it at the highest level. He has achieved a lot, but there is a clear sense he could have achieved more. This year's World Cup, which he claims could be his last , might be one of his final opportunities to do that.

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• Wilson: Lampard, Everton Take a Gamble on Each Other
• State of World Cup Qualifying Around the World: Who's In, Who's Close
• SI Vault: 2017 Neymar Cover Story—Out of the Shadows

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Neymar Jr. Biography: Childhood, Career and Achievements

Introduction

Quick facts about neymar jr., neymar jr.’s childhood, neymar’s early years and start of career, neymar’s career, what are neymar's biggest achievements, other ventures and personal life.

Neymar Jr or simply Neymar was born in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil on February 5 1992. The Brazilian superstar would go on to play for Santos FC before making a huge move to Barcelona, and is now one of the key players at Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar would also go on to play for his national team and represent them at two and most likely three World Cups. 

Neymar’s popularity has transcended the sport of soccer and the famous soccer player has even participated in movies and going on the Jimmy Kimmel show in the United States. Here is a look at the life and career achievements of Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, one of the greatest Brazilian soccer players of all time.

As mentioned before, Neymar is a Brazilian soccer player most known for his play as a winger. Neymar is one of the most popular soccer players in the world due to his style of play which is reminiscent of street soccer. Neymar Jr. is known for his burst of speed, dribbling abilities, and shooting accuracy. The 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or winner has also been compared to such Brazilian greats such as Pelé and Ronaldinho . 

• His real name is Neymar Da Silva Santos Junior.
• Neymar Jr. was born on February 5 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil.
• He is the son of Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine Da Silva.
• His father was a professional footballer and his inspiration.
• Neymar’s first club team was Santos.
• Neymar currently has won 26 professional championships, which breakdown as follows: Santos (6), Barcelona (8), PSG (11), Brazil (1). 
• Neymar has acted in the following movies and TV shows: XXX: Return of Xander Cage and Money Heist .
• Neymar is currently sponsored by Puma.

Neymar Jr. grew up loving the game of soccer in São Paulo, Brazil. Neymar’s father was a pro soccer player and would later go on to advise his son as his career progressed. An avid lover of futsal and street soccer , the way the game is played in the streets of Brazil influenced Neymar heavily as he was on the cusp of turning pro. Neymar played as a boy for Sao Vicente, a youth soccer team in his neighborhood. 

The Brazilian footballer developed a technique that mixed quick speed, dribbling, and shooting playing in the streets and with youth club Portuguesa Santista, which would eventually catch the attention of the Brazilian club Santos. In 2003 Neymar began playing for the Santos youth ranks and was immediately touted as “the next big thing”. Santos would give Neymar a contract that paid him $2,000 a month at 15 before even becoming a pro, and by 16 Santos wanted to make sure they had the young prospect signed on for the long term—they gave him an unprecedented $23,000 a month contract before going pro. 

To put this into perspective, Neymar was earning what professional soccer players in most of South America were getting paid without ever playing a professional match. By the time he was 17, Neymar would become one of the biggest prospects in world soccer.

At 17, Neymar was promoted to the first team and would go on to make his professional debut with Santos on March 7th 2009, a 2–1 win against Oeste. It would officially start the career of one of Brazilian soccer’s biggest prospects of the last 20 years. Neymar would take Santos back to heights it had not seen since the days of Pelé and Robinho. 

In his first season for Santos, Neymar would score 14 goals in 48 games across all competitions . Fans and media were mesmerized by the skill and flash of the lanky winger. Only one year after making his debut, Neymar would triple his output and begin to win championships. 

In his first year as a pro Neymar would play for the Brazil U-17 squad and would go on to represent Brazil in the U-17 World Cup.

At Santos, Neymar would begin to finetune his craft all while helping Santos back to the top of Brazilian soccer. In five seasons from 2009-2013, Neymar would score an impressive 136 goals in 225 games for Santos . Not only that but Neymar was instrumental in winning the 2011 Copa Libertadores for the club, defeating Peñarol of Uruguay in the final. 

During this period, Neymar was capped by Brazil for the first time in 2010 in a 2-0 friendly match victory against the United States on August 10 2010. He’d cement himself as one of the greatest players in Santos history and the best of the current generation. 

Neymar would win the following titles at the Brazilian club:

• Campeonato Paulista: 2010, 2011, 2012 
• Copa do Brasil: 2010 
• Copa Libertadores: 2011 
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2012

It was truly a miracle that Neymar lasted as long as he did in Brazil. Brazilian soccer was going through an economic boom in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup in the country and Neymar was paid handsomely during his time there. Still, Europe came calling and it was FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi that would be the next chapter of Neymar’s career, and the Spanish giants went on to pay $64 million for his services. 

Neymar arrived to a team loaded with talent and that took pressure off of the young Brazilian, being one of the boys on Lionel Messi’s team. Neymar would prove to be pivotal as he formed the MSN connection with Messi and Luis Suarez. The South American trio took LaLiga by storm and Barcelona defeated everyone, many games were 4-0 by halftime on various occasions. 

Without question Neymar was playing with the best team in the world, and it showed—the club won:  

• La Liga: 2014–15, 2015–16 
• Copa del Rey: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 
• Supercopa de España: 2013 
• UEFA Champions League: 2014–15 
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2015. 

The Champions League triumph was against Juventus and the Club World Cup was a sound victory over River Plate of Argentina, giving Barcelona their third Club World Cup. It was with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Andrés Iniesta, and of course, Neymar, that the world saw some of the best soccer ever played by any team in history. 

In only four seasons and being at times the third or fourth most important player on that Barcelona team, Neymar scored an impressive 105 goals in 186 games for Barca . His time was seen as a resounding success. 

Paris Saint-Germain

At PSG, Neymar wanted to step out of Lionel Messi’s shadow and be the central figure of a team on his own. PSG would be that team and the French club paid 200 million euros to sign the Brazilian. In 2017, Neymar arrived in Paris and while the team was made for him to be its star, he did clash with Edinson Cavani. Cavani was PSG’s unquestionable best player and the two had issues on the field at times. 

While Neymar has played well at PSG, injuries and the Champions League have put a dent on what would have been a stellar career in France. In his second season Neymar would only play 17 league games and the following season just 15. Nonetheless Neymar has cracked the 100 goal mark for PSG across all competitions in 144 games . 

The jury is still out on Neymar, who has been reunited with Lionel Messi and also has Kylian Mbappé on the current squad. Despite winning various titles in Ligue 1, Coupe the France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions, it’s Champions League or bust for the winger. 

• Ligue 1: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 
• Coupe de France: 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21,  
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2017–18, 2019–20
• Trophée des Champions: 2018, 2020 

Neymar transferred to Al Hilal on August 14, 2023, for a fee of €90 million ($98.1 million) from Paris Saint-Germain . He signed a two-year contract with the Saudi club, which is expected to pay him an annual salary of about $100 million​.

In October 2023, Neymar suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee , causing him to miss the rest of the season and half of the following campaign, as well as the Copa América held between June and July. His recovery is expected to be completed by the end of August, 10 months after the injury.

Since his injury, Neymar has been involved in controversies over his lifestyle and his time spent at parties and celebrations. "Cristiano has more passion for football and, because of that, he prioritizes it. Neymar has more passion for other things and puts those other things, which are his private life, ahead," commented Jorge Jesus, the coach of Al Hilal.

With the Brazilian national team, Neymar has represented the country in two World Cups, three Copa America’s, two Summer Olympics, and one Confederations Cup. Neymar has 119 caps for Brazil and 74 goals . 

As we’re writing this article, Neymar is the fourth most capped Brazilian soccer player of all time and second highest goalscorer in the country's history over Ronaldo, Romario, Zico, and Bebeto. 

Neymar has six World Cup goals in 10 matches where Brazil came in fourth in 2014 and sixth in 2018. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament, in the quarter finals against Colombia, Neymar suffered a serious back injury when Juan Camilo Zúñiga kneed the Brazilian in the back and suffered a fractured vertebra in his spine taking him out of the tournament. 

Neymar was the central figure for the Brazil national team in the 2022 World Cup, where the Verdeamarela side lost against Croatia in the quarterfinals .  

With Brazil, Neymar only has one title, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup which Brazil won when they defeated Spain in the final and Neymar had four goals in the tournament.

Neymar is a pure winner in soccer, he has won titles at every team he has played for but the Brazilian selection. He has also had various personal achievements: One of the biggest highlights was winning the treble with Barcelona in the 2014-15 season. In that historic season, Neymar would score 39 goals and was a pivotal part of the team after Lionel Messi had gone down with an injury. 

Neymar did participate in two Summer Olympics with the national team, winning the gold medal in soccer in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 games and a silver medal in 2012. 

Other major individual honors for Neymar are: 

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Player: 2011
• World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2011
• Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player: 2011
• FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2011
• South American Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2012
• FIFA Puskás Award: 2011
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2013
• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe: 2013
• FIFA Confederations Cup Dream Team: 2013
• FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 2014
• FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014
• UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21
• La Liga Best World Player: 2014–15
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2015, 2020
• IFFHS Men's World Team: 2017
• IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
• Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2021

Individual acknowledgements in major tournaments: 

• Copa do Brasil top scorer: 2010
• South American U-20 Championship top scorer: 2011
• Campeonato Paulista top scorer: 2012
• Copa Libertadores top scorer: 2012 (tied with Matías Alustiza)
• Copa Libertadores 2nd top assist provider: 2012
• Copa del Rey top scorer: 2014–15
• UEFA Champions League top scorer: 2014–15 (tied with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi)
• FIFA Club World Cup top assist provider: 2015
• UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2015–16, 2016–17

Neymar has been smart to get his brand out there, most notably on the big screen playing himself in xXx: Return of Xander Cage sharing a scene with none other than Samuel L. Jackson. 

Later he appeared in the international hit show Money Heist ( La Casa de Papel ) but this time playing a Monk named Joao. Also, Neymar more than held his own kicking a soccer ball with Late Night host Jimmy Kimmel. Neymar is also an avid poker player and is one of the highest paid athletes in the world . 

Neymar has earned well over $200 million dollars in his career through salary, film appearances, and endorsements. Neymar is interested in gaming and recently signed a gaming deal with Facebook for future projects. 

As for his personal life, Neymar has a son named Davi Lucca, who was born in 2011 from his relationship with Carolina Danta. 

Neymar is very close to his sister Rafaella Beckran and even sports a tattoo of her face on his arm. Neymar is a devout Christian and works with various charities to help feed poor children. 

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Brazilian Footballer

Neymar is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a winger. He has played for the likes of Santos, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

• Date of Birth: 5 February 1992 • Age: 32 years old • Place of Birth: Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil • Country (Sports): Brazil • Position: Winger • Height: 175cm / 5ft 9ins • Weight: 64kg / 141lbs • Wages: €700,000 per week (Approximate) • Net Worth: £168.8m (Daily Mirror, 2021)

The 32-year-old is widely considered to be one of the most talented attacking players of his generation and has won multiple major trophies at club level.

Born in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, Neymar began his youth career at Portuguesa Santista before moving to Santos’ youth set-up in 2003. He broke into the Santos first team in 2009 and subsequently earned a transfer to FC Barcelona in 2013.

In 2017, Neymar left FC Barcelona to sign for French club Paris Saint-Germain and he helped them to win the Ligue 1 title in his first campaign in Paris.

Neymar made his senior international debut for Brazil back in 2010 and has made more than 100 appearances for his country in various competitions.

So, what do we know about Neymar’s journey to becoming the talented footballer we all now know? This is his story.

Early Life, Parents And Upbringing

Neymar (full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Junior) was born on 5 February 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil to parents Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine da Silva. He is named after his father, who is a former footballer. He has a younger sister named Rafaella Santos.

Speaking about his father’s role in his life and career back in 2012, Neymar said : “My father has been by my side since I was little. He takes care of things, my finances and my family. He is the one who is in charge. He’s the boss. There’s always somebody nearby, keeping an eye on me more than watching me.”

Neymar developed as a youngster playing both futsal and street football. He initially started out playing futsal and began also playing football when he was around 11 years old.

Speaking about the influence that playing futsal had on his development, Neymar said in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine in 2016: “Futsal had a massive influence on me when I was growing up. It’s a very demanding game and it really helped to develop my technique, speed of thought, and ability to perform moves in tight spaces.” He added: “I combined football and futsal until I was 14.”

Neymar (Photo: @neymarjr / Instagram)

Neymar also revealed that he had an almost immediate passion for football after having fallen in love with the sport from an early age.

“I had a very happy childhood and I can still remember waking up every morning just wanting to play football – even though I knew I had to go to school,” Neymar said in the same interview with FourFourTwo . “As soon as I arrived home I used to grab my football and go straight out and I’d play until late at night with my friends. Nothing else seemed to matter to me at that age.

“I can still remember my dad watching all my futsal games and making comments about how I played even when I was so young. He was always there following everything I did.”

Early Career

After having begun playing football from an early age, Neymar was scouted by Santos who offered him a contract in 2003.

He spent six years in the club’s youth set-up before making his senior first-team debut for the club in 2009.

Neymar made his professional debut for Santos on 7 March 2009 when he was 17 years old, coming on as a substitute for the last thirty minutes in a 2–1 win against Oeste.

Reflecting on his professional debut for Santos, Neymar told FourFourTwo : “I didn’t really know what to do! I didn’t know whether to smile, applaud the crowd, wave my hands in the air or just stay serious. It feels quite complicated when you’re that young but I ended up playing that first game and the rest is history.”

Neymar scored his first goal for Santos the following week in a match against Mogi Mirim.

In his five seasons at Santos, Neymar would go on to score a highly impressive 136 goals in 225 games for the Brazilian club, helping them to win three league titles.

His electric performances in Brazil had caught the eye of some top European teams and a move to FC Barcelona soon beckoned in 2013.

FC Barcelona

In May 2013, FC Barcelona agreed a deal to sign the 21-year-old Neymar from Santos. The transfer fee was reported to be in the region of £48.6m (€57m), with the Brazilian penning an initial five-year contract.

Speaking about his decision to join the Spanish club at the time, Neymar said: “Money is OK but happiness takes priority. We decided to come to Barcelona. I had a lot of offers but I followed my heart. I think adjusting to European football may be difficult but I hope to adjust quickly.”

Neymar made his first competitive appearance for FC Barcelona on 18 August 2013 in a 7-0 La Liga win over Levante. He netted his first competitive goal for the Spanish club on 21 August 2013, in the first leg of the 2013 Spanish Super Cup clash against Atletico Madrid.

Neymar then made his Champions League debut on 18 September 2013 in a 4-0 victory over Ajax.

The Brazilian attacker went on to enjoy a sparkling four seasons with FC Barcelona, scoring 105 goals in 186 games for the Spanish club in all competitions.

Neymar (Photo: Cosmin Iftode / depositphotos.com)

With FC Barcelona, he won two La Liga titles, one Champions League and three Copa del Reys. He also won the Spanish Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup.

Paris Saint-Germain

Neymar ended up leaving FC Barcelona after four seasons to sign for French side Paris Saint-Germain.

On 3 August 2017, it was announced that Neymar, then 25 years old, was joining PSG from FC Barcelona for a world-record fee of £200m (€222m).

At the time, it was reported that Neymar would earn €45m (£40.7m) per year – €865,000 (£782,000) per week – before tax from the initial five-year deal, a total outlay of £400m.

Neymar (Photo: YouTube / Screengrab)

Speaking about his decision to join PSG, Neymar said: “Paris St-Germain’s ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings. I feel ready to take the challenge. From today, I will do everything I can to help my new team-mates.”

Neymar made his Ligue 1 debut for PSG on 13 August 2017, scoring one goal and assisting another in a 3–0 away victory over Guingamp.

He went on to score 100 goals in 144 games for the French club in all competitions in his next five seasons at PSG.

International Career

Neymar represented Brazil at Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 level.

He made his senior debut for the Brazilian national team on 10 August 2010 when he was 18 years old, in 2-0 friendly win against the United States in which he scored his first goal for his country.

After going on to score eight goals in his first 16 games for his country, Neymar said : “Being on the Brazilian team is a privilege. There are some marvelous players and I’m very happy to be among them.”

Neymar in 2013 (Photo: Alexandre Paes Leme Durao / depositphotos.com)

Neymar was part of the Brazil team who won the gold medal at the men’s football tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Net Worth, Wages And Salary

As is the case with most celebrities and sports stars, there is no ‘official’ figure for Neymar’s net worth. That being said, a number of online media outlets have attempted to estimate the figure.

In November 2021, The Daily Mirror estimated that Neymar’s net worth stood at around €200m (£168.8m). Meanwhile, in 2022, Spanish newspaper Marca estimated that the Neymar net worth figure was around €182m (£153.8m).

Neymar is also one of the best-paid footballers in the world. In 2022, Forbes estimated that Neymar was earning $95m (£78.6m) per year, making him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world . Of that number, $70 was said to come from his salary, and the remaining $25m was reported to come from sponsorships and endorsements.

What about his wages at PSG? According to L’Equipe , Neymar was earning in the region of £3.4m per month from his salary at Paris Saint-Germain in 2022. This number equates to around £784,600 per week.

At the time of his transfer to PSG from FC Barcelona, BBC Sport reported that Neymar would be earning €45m (£40.7m) per year, which is €865,000 (£782,000) per week, before tax from his contract with the French club.

Meanwhile, other sources suggested that Neymar was earning in the region of €700,000 (£591,800) per week from his PSG contract.

Life Away From The Pitch

Neymar is a Christian and has posted about his faith on social media.

In February 2014, Neymar said in a post on social media: “Life only has meaning when our highest ideal is to serve Christ!”

Away from football, Neymar has become something of an icon in promoting Brazilian modern pop music, particularly Musica Sertaneja.

Neymar with Lionel Messi (Photo: @neymarjr / Instagram)

What Have Others Said?

Lionel Messi, speaking about Neymar in 2020: “Neymar is one of the best in the world. He is a very happy person who is always smiling and enjoys himself on and off the pitch. He gave all the players a lift.”

Ronaldinho, speaking about Neymar in 2015: “Neymar is my heir. He’s performing that role and will do so for many years. He’s a great player and will be the face of the Brazil team throughout the seasons to come.”

David Beckham , speaking about Neymar in 2017: “It’s been clear ever since he signed for Brazilian team Santos at 17 that Neymar is an outstanding talent, a once-in-a-generation type of footballer who has fans on their feet whenever he gets the ball. I’ve always been struck by his humility. He’s respectful and wants to learn, which he proved when he arrived at Barcelona in 2013 to play alongside some of the game’s biggest stars.”

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Introduction

(born 1992). Brazilian soccer (association football) player Neymar was one of the best forwards in the sport in the early 21st century. Known for his speed, skillful footwork, and prolific scoring, he was a star player for the Brazilian national team as well as for several professional clubs.

Early Years

Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr., was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil. He began playing soccer as a boy under the guidance of his father, a former professional soccer player. Neymar played street and indoor five-a-side soccer before joining a youth team in São Vicente, in southeastern Brazil. In 2003 he and his family moved to the nearby city of Santos. There Neymar joined the youth academy of Santos FC, the same club for which Brazilian soccer legend  Pelé  had once starred. At age 14 Neymar had a successful tryout with the Spanish powerhouse club  Real Madrid . However, he opted to remain for the time being with Santos FC.

Decorated Club Career

Neymar made his debut with Santos FC’s first team in 2009. While playing for Santos, he averaged a goal every other match. In 2011 he helped the team win the Libertadores Cup (the most prestigious South American club competition). Neymar’s many individual honors with Santos included winning the South American Footballer of the Year award in 2011 and 2012.

In June 2013 Neymar signed a five-year contract with FC Barcelona of La Liga, the top Spanish soccer league. Two years later he helped Barcelona achieve a “treble”—winning three major European club titles in one season. The club won the La Liga championship, the Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) title, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League title. Neymar was instrumental in Barcelona’s success from 2013 to 2017, totaling 105 goals in 186 games with the club across all competitions.

In August 2017 Neymar moved to the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a then record $263 million transfer fee. PSG captured the Ligue 1 (French top-division) title in 2017–18. Neymar scored 19 goals in 20 Ligue 1 games that season and was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year. He also helped PSG win Ligue 1 titles in 2018–19, 2019–20, and 2021–22.

Achievements with the National Team

Neymar debuted with the Brazilian national team in August 2010, in a friendly match (nontournament game) against the United States. He scored his first international goal in that match, a 2–0 win for Brazil. Neymar scored four goals for Brazil at the 2013 Confederations Cup, including one in the team’s 3–0 victory over Spain in the final. He won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s most valuable player as well as the Bronze Boot as its third-highest scorer. Neymar starred for Brazil when his home country hosted the 2014 World Cup . He scored four goals in five games before he was knocked out of the tournament with a fractured vertebra during the quarterfinals. Without its most important player, Brazil lost by a shocking 7–1 margin to eventual-champion Germany in the semifinals. Despite his early exit from the World Cup, Neymar won the Bronze Boot.

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Neymar led the Brazilian men’s side to its first Olympic gold medal. In the final match against Germany he scored the winning penalty in extra time. At the 2018 World Cup Neymar scored two goals, but Brazil’s run ended with a quarterfinal loss to Belgium.

On September 27, 2022, in a friendly match between Brazil and Tunisia, Neymar netted the 75th international goal of his career. He joined Pelé and Argentine star Lionel Messi as the only South American players to have scored 75 or more career international goals. Brazil went undefeated in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. With Neymar again spearheading the team, Brazil was considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. Neymar scored two goals at the World Cup to push his number of international goals to 77, equaling the record that Pelé had established for most goals scored for the Brazilian national team. Brazil, however, suffered an upset loss to Croatia in a thrilling quarterfinal match that was decided by penalty kicks.

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Neymar Height, Weight, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Neymar

Neymar’s Childhood Photos

Neymar’s Car Accident

Neymar’s childhood house

• He inherited football from his father who used to be a professional football player, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he encouraged Neymar to play football when he was around 3 years old, after which he started playing street football and futsal.

• As a kid, Neymar used to be a fun-loving and hyperactive boy, who was most of the time seen playing football and video games.

Betinho, first coach of Neymar

Neymar (second from right, sitting) with his Portuguesa Santista youth club teammates

• His father used to be so much busy while doing his multiple jobs to support his son’s football career, that he wasn’t able to see him play in his early football career.

Neymar when he played for the Santos Youth team

Neymar for Santos FC (left) playing against Lionel Messi for FC Barcelona (right)

• Around 14,000 fans requested and signed a petition and demanded the then Brazil team manager, Dunga, to include Neymar for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but he wasn’t picked.

Neymar with his newly born son Davi Lucca

• He celebrated his 20th birthday in style as he scored his 100th career goal that day.

Neymar during his signing with FC Barcelona

Neymar on the cover of TIME Magazine

• He suffered from ‘anaemia,’ deficiency of red cells or of haemoglobin in the blood while playing for ‘FC Barcelona’ in his debut year.

Neymar (in yellow) with Juan Zuniga (on his back) which ruled him out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup

• He became the captain of Brazil in September 2014 and captained them till 2016.

Luis Suárez, Neymar, and Lionel Messi (left to right) when they played for FC Barcelona

Neymar with the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medal

• On 2 April 2017, he scored his 100th goal for FC Barcelona during his 177th match for the club.
• In July 2017, Neymar expressed his desire to leave FC Barcelona. Rumours circulated in the media that he wanted to get out of Messi’s shadow.

Neymar during the Neymar Jr Five tournament

Neymar after signing with PSG

• During the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, he was trolled for his over-acting on the football field.

Neymar keeps rolling rolling rolling rolling (🎥: @rayrod747 ) pic.twitter.com/AxekdKq34y — Troll Football Media (@Troll__Footbal) June 30, 2018

Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Edinson Cavani (left to right) when they played for PSG

• On 8 May 2021, he extended his contract with PSG till 2025. On 6 November 2021, he scored the 400th goal of his career.
• On 9 December 2022, during the match against Croatia in the quarterfinal of the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, he became the joint-highest goalscorer for Brazil by scoring his 77th goal, tying him with Pele .

Neymar after signing with Al-Hilal Club

• His transfer to Al-Hilal made the spotlight due to his demands from the Saudi club. Reportedly, he demanded three luxury cars,  a Bentley Continental GP, an Aston Martin DBX and a Lamborghini Huracan, four Mercedes G Wagons for his entourage, and a Mercedes van with a driver available round the clock.

Neymar being honoured after becoming the highest goalscorer for Brazil

• He was deregistered by Al-Hilal in January 2024 for the 2023-24 season after suffering an injury while being on national duty.

Neymar with Toiss group

Neymar with Neymarzetes poster

• He has made cameo appearances in music videos like- “Eu Quero Tchu, Eu Quero Tcha” by João Lucas & Marcelo (2012), and “Pais do Futebol” by MC Guime (2013).

Neymar Comic Series

• He had scored twice the amount of goals than what Ronaldo had at the same age of 23.

Neymar announcing the start of his music career

• Neymar has played in various positions. He has played as a second striker, winger, and an attacking midfielder. Brazil manager Tite often used him as a central strike in false 9, an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward role from deep midfield.

Neymar with Ronaldinho

• Neymar’s career has been plagued by many injuries which have often put him out of the field for many months. When he joined Barcelona in 2013, doctors advised him to gain weight to cope with the physical nature of European football (soccer).
• His antics on the field have been criticised by many players, coaches and fans. French footballer Eric Cantona once said that Neymar was a great actor and called him a wheeled suitcase that turns around for hours and hours on a gentle push.

Neymar with his 100 per cent Jesus Headband

Neymar playing with his dogs

Neymar’s Twitter post after buying two Bored Ape NFTs

Poster of Neymar’s metaverse

• In an interview, he named Kyle Walker, a British footballer, as the toughest opponent he ever faced.
• Many critics have called Neymar the biggest footballer who never won any Ballon d’Or or World Cup. He has been called ‘the prince who never became a king’ by many media outlets.
• He has been associated with many charity programs of various organisations such as FIFA’s 11 Against Ebola campaign.

Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo featured on the cover of FIFA 19

• In 20221, he was featured in a documentary series Neymar and the Line of King, streamed on DAZN and a documentary series in 2022, titled Neymar: The Perfect Chaos was released on Netflix which was based on his life.
• He often celebrates his goals and other achievements with dance.
• In an interview, he said that had he not been a footballer, he would have become a musician. Interestingly, he cannot play any musical instrument.

Neymar during a project of his charity group

Neymar during a still from the film XXX Return of Xander Cage

Neymar playing poker

Neymar showing his Puma shoes

A few photos of Neymar drinking beer

• He likes playing basketball whenever he gets time away from football and has been spotted in various NBA matches.

References/Sources: [ + ]

• Date of birth/Age: Feb 5, 1992 (32)

• Height: 1,75 m
• Position: Left Winger
• Caps/Goals: 128 / 79

Last update: Jun 4, 2024

Player data

Career stats.

National team career

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Neymar biography in English

Neymar photo in Barcelona presentation

Neymar fact sheet :

Full name : Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior Birth date: February 5, 1992 Age : 25 years old Birth place : Mogi das Cruzes (São Paulo), Brazil Nationality : Brazilian Height : 1,74m (5’7”) Weight : 65kg (143.3 lbs) Field position : Forward First professiona club : Santos FC Shirt/jersey number in Brazil and Barcelona : #11 Professional club career debut : March 7, 2009 – Itápolis vs Santos FC Brazilian National Team debut : July 26, 2010 – United States vs Brazil Current club : Paris-Saint Germain (since 2017) Nicknames : Joia, Juninho

Neymar wearing Barcelona’s new jersey in 2013-2014

Neymar biography and profile

Neymar arrived to Santos back in 2003, to start playing for the club’s youth categories. He started becoming popular very early and way before turning a professional player. When he turned 14, he traveled to Madrid in Spain in order to go through some trials at the Merengues and according to the reports he was immediately accepted. However, Santos FC managed to hold on to their crown jewelry because the Brazilian club president at the time, Marcelo Teixeira , offered 1 million euros to Neymar ‘s father on the condition that the prodigious player stayed at the club until he turned professional.

Neymar had his debut in Santos shortly after he turned 17 (March 7, 2009), in a away match against Itápolis . His first goal as professional player arrived one week later on March 15 (2009), in a 3-0 win against Mogi Mirim . During his first years in the first team, Neymar shared most of the media focus with his good friend and teammate until 2012, Paulo Henrique Ganso , who is now playing for São Paulo . Neymar didn’t get any silverware during his first year as a professional footballer, since Santos finished 2nd in the “ Campeonato Paulista ” and 12nd in the “ Campeonato Brasileiro “.

In 2010, Santos won the “ Campeonato Paulista ” for the first time since Neymar had joined the squad and together with Robinho , Paulo Henrique Ganso and André , the team was often called as “ Meninos da Vila “, in a clear reference to the fact that several key players had been developed in the club’s youth ranks. Later that year, Neymar won his second career title and this time it was the “ Copa do Brasil ” trophy (the Brazilian Cup ). The Brazilian forward became the competition’s top goalscorer, with 11 goals. His performances were already impressing a lot of scouts from European big clubs by then and during the Old Continent’s summer transfer season in August, Chelsea has allegedly made a move on Neymar  that would end up failing miserably after Pelé ‘s intervention. The all-time legend talked with the Brazilian youngster and convinced him that the best decision at that time was to stay put in Santos . The Brazilian club finished 8th in the “ Campeonato Brasileiro ” at the end of that year.

Neymar goal celebration wallpaper in Santos

The 2011 year kicked off with all attention turned on to Neymar Jr . He was already being regarded as the best footballer playing in Brazil and there was a big amount of expectation to see how he would keep improving in the months and years ahead. Santos won the “ Campeonato Paulista ” for the second year in a row, the club’s 19th state title. However, the biggest accomplishment took place in the “ Copa dos Libertadores “, with Santos beating Peñarol in the final and Neymar scoring one of the winning goals, during the second leg 2-1 win. The Brazilian club were chasing that trophy for 48 years… Neymar scored the best goal of his short career that year, in a game against Ronaldinho and Atletico Paranaense . That goal allowed him to win the FIFA Ferenc Puskás award for the best goal of 2011, in a ceremony that was held a few months later in Switzerland , in January of 2012. Before that and deep in December 2011, Santos faced Barcelona in the FIFA Club World Cup and basically got crushed by the Spanish giants, with an impressive 4-0 final result. Neymar recognized that Barcelona had a far superior team and that his side had been taught how to play football that day. That was probably the first big step Neymar has made to open the doors towards signing for Barcelona sooner or later.

On August 24 of 2011, Neymar became a father for the first time in his life, at the age of 19. The mother was 17 and despite asking for her anonymity on a first stage, her identity was later revealed as being Carolina Dantas . Neymar son was a boy and was called Davi Lucca , but the Brazilian player’s relationship with Carolina was far from perfect, leaving few alternatives than paying the mother a monthly child support pension of 30.000 reais (roughly 13.000 US dollars). With the Brazilian National Team , Neymar had his first taste of participating in an important tournament with the Copa America, in July of 2011. Things didn’t go as the Brazilian people certainly expected and the “ Canarinha ” got knocked out in the competition’s quarter-finals, in the penalty-shout decision against Paraguay .

Neymar with 17 years old, in Santos FC

In 2012 Neymar led Santos to some more success in the “ Campeonato Paulista “, for the third straight time. On May of that year, Neymar became Santos highest goalscorer since the “ Pelé era”, after scoring another 2 goals against Bolivar, in the “ Copa dos Libertadores ” and reaching his 106th goal for the club. Santos wouldn’t get lucky in that competiton though and got thrown out by Corinthians , in a two-leg  semi-finals. The second trophy Neymar won in 2012 was the “ Recopa Sul-Americana “, after beating Universidad de Chile in the final.

As for 2013, we can safely say that it definitely allowed Neymar to also confirm his star player status in the Brazilian National Team . The Confederations Cup was awaited with high expectation and Neymar didn’t defraud anyone, especially in the final against Spain . Brazil beat the current European and World champions and Neymar performed at his very best level. However, Neymar ‘s summer of 2013 will always be remembered for the time when he finally signed for Barcelona and got to initiate his journey in Europe . The Spanish club paid 50 million euros for the Brazilian star, for a 5-year deal that will allow Neymar to earn 7 million euros per year, plus a 1 million euros bonus if he ends up winning the FIFA Balon d’Or , an award which his current teammate Lionel Messi has won for the past 4 straight years and with that always leaving Cristiano Ronaldo behind him. Earlier in the year, Neymar has also announced that he was on a relationship with a new girlfriend, the Brazilian actress from Globo , Bruna Marquezine .

Neymar wallpaper, playing for Brazil in the Confederations Cup in 2013

Neymar and Lionel Messi hugging each other

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Neymar : my story : conversations with my father

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Español NEW Neymar facts for kids Quick facts for kids Neymar in 2023 Personal information Full name Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior Date of birth (1992-02-05) 5 February 1992 (age 32) Place of birth Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil Height 1.75 m Playing position , Club information Current club Number 10 Youth career 1999–2003 Portuguesa Santista 2003–2009 Senior career* Years 2009–2013 177 (107) 2013–2017 123 (68) 2017–2023 112 (82) 2023– 3 (0) National team 2009 Brazil U17 3 (1) 2011 Brazil U20 7 (9) 2012–2016 Brazil U23 14 (8) 2010– 128 (79) Men's 2013 Brazil 2021 Brazil Team U-20 South American Championship 2011 Peru Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 September 2023 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team . A prolific goalscorer and renowned playmaker, he is regarded as one of the best players in the world. Neymar has scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs, making him one of three players to achieve this. Early years Club career, brazil national team, comparisons, personal life, interesting facts about neymar, charity efforts, neymar quotes, sponsorships, television and films, international, images for kids. Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo , to Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine da Silva and had a Christian upbringing. He inherited his name from his father, who is a former footballer and became his son's advisor as Neymar's talents began to grow. Neymar comments on his father's role: "My father has been by my side since I was little. He takes care of things, my finances and my family." Growing up, Neymar combined his love of futsal with street football. Neymar said that futsal had a massive influence on him growing up, helping him develop his technique, speed of thought and ability to perform moves in tight spaces. In 2003, Neymar moved with his family to São Vicente , where he began playing for youth side Portuguesa Santista. Then, later in 2003, they moved to Santos , where Neymar joined Santos . With the success of his youth career and added income, the family bought their first property, a house next to Vila Belmiro, Santos' home stadium. Their quality of family life improved. At 17, he signed his first full professional contract, was upgraded to the Santos first team, and began signing his first sponsorship deals. Neymar made his professional debut aged 17. He became famous when playing at Santos . He helped the club win two successive Campeonato Paulista championships, a Copa do Brasil , and the 2011 Copa Libertadores, Santos' first since 1963. Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year, in 2011 and 2012, and soon relocated to Europe to join Barcelona . As part of Barcelona's attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez , dubbed MSN , he won the continental treble of La Liga , the Copa del Rey , and the UEFA Champions League . He then attained a domestic double in the 2015–16 season. Motivated to be a talisman at club level, Neymar transferred to PSG in 2017 in a move worth €222 million, making him the most expensive player ever. In France, he won four league titles, among other honours, and was voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year in his debut season. Notably, he helped PSG attain a domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season, and led the club to its first ever Champions League Final . In 2020-21, Neymar established himself as the highest scoring Brazilian player in Champions League history. Injuries riddled Neymar's playing time in PSG and in 2023, after six seasons, he signed for Al Hilal in a lucrative deal. With 75 goals in 121 matches for Brazil since debuting at age 18, Neymar is the second highest goalscorer for his national team, trailing Pelé . At his youth stage for Brazil, he was a key player in the victory at the 2011 South American Youth Championship, where he finished as leading goalscorer, and also attained a silver medal in men's football at the 2012 Summer Olympics . The following year, he won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning the Golden Ball . His participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 Copa América was cut short by injury and a suspension, respectively. At the 2016 Summer Olympics he captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men's football. Having renounced the captaincy, he featured at the 2018 World Cup , and after missing the 2019 Copa América through injury, helped Brazil to a runner-up finish at the 2021 tournament. Player profile The media have often drawn comparisons between Neymar and Brazilian legend Pelé, as Neymar possesses similar attributes and also like Pelé came from the Santos Youth Academy and turned heads with his skill. Neymar has said that Pelé is his "role model" but also saying: "I don't like to make a comparison with Pelé". He has also been compared to compatriot Ronaldinho. Neymar's increasing reputation led both the media and former great players to draw comparisons between Neymar and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, which Neymar has commented on saying: "Messi is above everyone, there is no use comparing me with him. He is the best player in the world and I always get inspired when I watch good football." Neymar has a son, Davi Lucca, born on 13 August 2011, with former girlfriend Carolina Dantas. At age 15, Neymar was earning 10,000 reais per month and at 16, 125,000 reais per month. He has a very close sibling relationship with his sister Rafaella Beckran. He tattoed her face on his arm, while Beckran tattooed her brother's eyes on her arm. Neymar is a Christian , and follows the Pentecostal branch of the religion. In addition to his native Portuguese , Neymar also speaks Spanish. In 2019, Forbes ranked Neymar the world's third highest-paid athlete (after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) with earnings of $105 million for the calendar year. Neymar appeared on the cover of Time magazine in February 2013, the first Brazilian athlete to do so. In April 2013, Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa released a Monica's Gang comic book featuring a younger version of Neymar (called Neymar Jr. ) as the main character. Neymar reportedly also tithes (10%) his income to his church. Each year, Neymar organises a charity match with fellow Brazilian footballer Nenê in Nenê's hometown of Jundiaí , with the purpose of raising food for needy families. "I just want to be better every day, to get better every day, not to be better than anyone else." "I always do as my heart tells me." "When we lose, we don't have to change everything but correct things by working hard." "I am not the type of person who lets the pressure get to him. I try to see it as my friend. I align with it to calm me down." Neymar finished third for the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2015 and 2017, has been awarded the FIFA Puskás Award , has been named in the FIFA FIFPro World11 twice, the UEFA Team of the Year twice, and the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season three times. Off the pitch, he ranks among the world's most prominent sportsmen. SportsPro named him the most marketable athlete in the world in 2012 and 2013, and ESPN cited him as the world's fourth-most famous athlete in 2016. In 2017, Time included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2018, France Football ranked Neymar the world's third highest-paid footballer. The following year, Forbes ranked him the world's third highest-paid athlete, dropping a spot to fourth in 2020. Outside football Neymar has signed many sponsorship deals since his reputation began to grow from the age of 17. In March 2011, he signed an 11-year contract with American sportswear company Nike , which ended in August 2020. Still in March 2011, Panasonic paid US$2.4 million to secure Neymar's services for two years. Neymar has signed with German sportswear company Puma . He has also signed other sponsorships from Volkswagen , Tenys Pé Baruel, Lupo, Ambev, Claro, Unilever and Santander . Neymar was featured on the front covers of the video games Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 on the North American version. Neymar joined Cristiano Ronaldo as a featured cover athlete. Neymar also features in EA Sports ' FIFA video game series , with the trailer for FIFA 18 showing him in his PSG home jersey. He appeared alongside Cristiano Ronaldo on the Champions and Ultimate Edition packs for FIFA 19 , where Neymar's "Hang Loose" goal celebration also features in the game. In May 2013, SportsPro magazine named Neymar as the most marketable athlete on the planet for the second consecutive year. He topped the list ahead of Lionel Messi, Rory McIlroy , Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo, among other sportspeople. The list measures the monetary value, the age, the force in domestic markets, the charisma and their market potential in the next three years. In March 2015, Neymar had the fourth highest social media rank in the world among sportspeople, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Beckham, with 52 million Facebook fans. He has over 150 million Instagram followers, the third highest for a sportsperson (after Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi), and inside the top 10 most followed people. In ESPN 's list of active sportspeople in 2016, Neymar was ranked the fourth most famous athlete in the world. In April 2017, Neymar was included in the Time 100, Time magazine's list of the most influential people in the world. In 2019, ESPN again ranked him the world's fourth most famous athlete. To mark the World Cup commencing in Brazil, in June 2014, Neymar appeared with supermodel Gisele Bündchen on the front cover of Vogue 's Brazilian edition. In November 2014, Neymar appeared in FIFA's "11 against Ebola " campaign with a selection of top football players from around the world, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale , Xavi and Didier Drogba . Under the slogan "Together, we can beat Ebola", FIFA's campaign was done in conjunction with the Confederation of African Football and health experts, with the players holding up eleven messages to raise awareness of the disease and ways to combat it. In collaboration with DAZN, in 2019 Neymar appeared in The Making Of series, documentaries which relives the significant games that helped define football's greatest modern icons, with Neymar recounting his performance for Santos against Flamengo in 2011 when he scored that year's FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year, and also the film Neymar and the Line of King which covers Neymar's journey in becoming one of Brazil's top players. Most recently, he had signed a deal with Facebook Gaming. He was also the subject of a 2022 Netflix documentary series titled Neymar: The Perfect Chaos . Neymar has become an icon in promoting Brazilian modern pop music, particularly Música sertaneja. The video in which Neymar dances in the Santos locker room dancing in front of teammates carrying his recorder making the round of the players and making them react to the tune of Michel Teló 's hit "Ai se eu te pego!" went viral . He made a point of performing his dance antics to the song after scoring goals in football games and appeared live with Teló in one of the latter's concerts. He also supported sertanejo singer Gusttavo Lima performing live with Lima on renditions of the singer's hits "Balada" and "Fazer Beber". In 2012, he made cameo appearances in the music video for yet another sertanejo hit "Eu Quero Tchu, Eu Quero Tcha" by João Lucas & Marcelo. In 2013, Neymar appeared on a rap music video, "País do Futebol" by MC Guimê. Year Title Role Note(s) Type 2012 Encanador — TV series (TV) 2017 Himself — Full-length film (FL) 2017 Himself — FL 2019 Monje Joao — TV 2019 Himself DAZN presents TV 2021 Himself DAZN presents TV 2022 Himself Netflix Docuseries Career statistics Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League State league National cup League cup Continental Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals 2009 33 10 12 3 3 1 — — — 48 14 2010 Série A 31 17 19 14 8 11 — 2 0 — 60 42 2011 Série A 21 13 11 4 — — 13 6 2 1 47 24 2012 Série A 17 14 16 20 — — 12 8 2 1 47 43 2013 Série A 1 0 18 12 4 1 — — — 23 13 Total 102 54 75 53 15 13 — 27 14 4 2 225 136 2013–14 26 9 — 3 1 — 10 4 2 1 41 15 2014–15 La Liga 33 22 — 6 7 — 12 10 — 51 39 2015–16 La Liga 34 24 — 5 4 — 9 3 1 0 49 31 2016–17 La Liga 30 13 — 6 3 — 9 4 0 0 45 20 Total 123 68 — 20 15 — 40 21 3 1 186 105 2017–18 20 19 — 1 2 2 1 7 6 — 30 28 2018–19 Ligue 1 17 15 — 3 2 1 1 6 5 1 0 28 23 2019–20 Ligue 1 15 13 — 2 2 3 1 7 3 — 27 19 2020–21 Ligue 1 18 9 — 3 1 — 9 6 1 1 31 17 2021–22 Ligue 1 22 13 — 0 0 — 6 0 0 0 28 13 2022–23 Ligue 1 20 13 — 2 1 — 6 2 1 2 29 18 Total 112 82 — 11 8 6 3 41 22 3 3 173 118 2023–24 3 0 — 0 0 — 2 1 — 5 1 Career total 340 204 76 54 46 36 6 3 109 58 10 6 589 360 National team Year Competitive Friendly Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals 2010 0 0 2 1 2 1 2011 4 2 9 5 13 7 2012 0 0 12 9 12 9 2013 5 4 14 6 19 10 2014 5 4 9 11 14 15 2015 4 1 5 3 9 4 2016 6 4 0 0 6 4 2017 6 2 2 1 8 3 2018 5 2 8 5 13 7 2019 0 0 5 1 5 1 2020 2 3 0 0 2 3 2021 13 6 0 0 13 6 2022 4 3 4 4 8 7 2023 4 2 0 0 4 2 Total 58 33 70 46 128 79 Copa do Brasil : 2010 Campeonato Paulista: 2010, 2011, 2012; runner-up: 2009 Copa Libertadores : 2011 Recopa Sudamericana: 2012 La Liga : 2014–15 , 2015–16 Copa del Rey : 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 Supercopa de España : 2013 UEFA Champions League : 2014–15 FIFA Club World Cup : 2015 Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 : 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23 Coupe de France : 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21; runner-up: 2018–19 Coupe de la Ligue : 2017–18, 2019–20 Trophée des Champions: 2018, 2020, 2022 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20 Saudi Pro League : 2023–24 South American U-20 Championship: 2011 Brazil Olympic Summer Olympics : 2016; runner-up: 2012 FIFA Confederations Cup : 2013 Copa América runner-up: 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2010, 2011 , 2012 Chuteira de Ouro: 2010, 2011, 2012 Bola de Prata: 2010, 2011 Bola de Ouro: 2011 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Player: 2011 World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2011 Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player: 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball : 2011 South American Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2012 FIFA Puskás Award : 2011 Bola de Ouro Hors Concours: 2012 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Dream Team: 2013 FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 2014 FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014 Samba Gold: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2014–15 , 2019–20 , 2020–21 La Liga Best World Player: 2014–15 La Liga Player of the Month: November 2015 UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2017–18 UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21 UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: January 2020, August 2022 UEFA Team of the Year: 2015, 2020 FIFA FIFPRO World 11: 2015, 2017 IFFHS Men's World Team: 2017 ESM Team of the Year: 2017–18 IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade: 2011–2020 Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2021 Performances Copa do Brasil top scorer: 2010 South American U-20 Championship top scorer: 2011 Campeonato Paulista top scorer: 2012 Copa Libertadores top scorer: 2012 (tied with Matías Alustiza) Copa Libertadores 2nd top assist provider: 2012 Copa del Rey top scorer: 2014–15 UEFA Champions League top scorer: 2014–15 (tied with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ) FIFA Club World Cup top assist provider: 2015 UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2015–16 , 2016–17 Neymar training ahead of the 2011 Copa Libertadores final against Peñarol Neymar during his unveiling at Barcelona in June 2013 Neymar playing for Barcelona against Villarreal in La Liga, 1 February 2015. Neymar opened the scoring in Barcelona's 3–2 win. Barcelona fans prior to the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final in Berlin holding up pictures of the attacking trio, Messi, Suárez and Neymar ( MSN ) Neymar playing for PSG against Lille in February 2018 Neymar taking a penalty against Lille during a Ligue 1 match in 2020 Neymar (right) with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi against Marseille during Le Classique, October 2021 Neymar (middle) celebrating a goal with PSG team-mates Messi (left) and Mbappé (right) Neymar at a press conference for the Brazil national team in August 2010. He made his international debut that month aged 18. Neymar celebrates his goal for Brazil against Scotland , on 27 March 2011, with André Santos and Ramires. Neymar preparing to take a free-kick from 30 yards out against Belarus at Old Trafford in Manchester during the 2012 Summer Olympics Neymar playing against Spain's Gerard Piqué in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final Neymar preparing to strike the winning penalty kick for Brazil against Germany in the Olympic final Neymar celebrates scoring against Costa Rica at the 2018 FIFA World Cup . Neymar (right) greets future teammate Lionel Messi after the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final. As a teenager, Neymar was inspired by Messi. Neymar, playing for Brazil in 2011, has been compared to compatriots Pelé and Ronaldinho. List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals List of most expensive association football transfers This page was last modified on 9 August 2024, at 03:05. Suggest an edit . Neymar (Q142794) Neymar Junior Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior Neymar Silva Santos Junior Language Label Description Also known as English Wikisource (0 entries) Wikiversity (0 entries), wikivoyage (0 entries), wiktionary (0 entries), multilingual sites (1 entry). commonswiki Neymar Navigation menu 225 IMAGES Neymar Jr: Biography, Profile, Career, Achievements and Family Neymar Jr: Football Legend Neymar Height, Weight, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography & More Neymar Jr. Biography, Childhood, Career, Life, Facts Neymar Biography The Truth About NEYMAR BIOGRAPHY In 5 Minutes COMMENTS Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team.Regarded as one of the best players of his generation, he is known for his flamboyant style of play, dribbling abilities, and two-footedness. [8] Neymar In full: Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr. Born: February 5, 1992, Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil (age 32) Neymar (born February 5, 1992, Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil) is a Brazilian football (soccer) player who is one of the most prolific scorers in his country's storied football history. Neymar began playing football as a boy in São Vicente, under the ... Neymar: Biography, Brazilian Soccer Player, Athlete Early Life as a Soccer Prodigy. Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil. The son of a former professional soccer player, Neymar followed in ... Neymar Jr. Biography, Childhood, Career, Life, Facts Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (born Feb 5, 1992), nicknamed 'Juninho', is a Brazilian professional football player. He plays forward for Paris Saint-Germain (French Club) and the Brazilian National team. Brazil is known to have produced some of the best players, the game of football has ever seen. From the legendary Pele, the sleek and ... Neymar bio Biography. Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, usually referred to as Neymar or Neymar Jr., was born on the 5th February 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. He is one of the most well known and successful footballers of today and actually plays for FC Barcelona and is the captain of the Brazilian national team. Neymar Biography Neymar da Silva Santos Junior was born on 5 February 1992, in the Mogi das Cruzes municipality of Sao Paulo, Brazil. His father Neymar Santos Senior was a professional footballer and used to be his trainer. His mother's name is Nadine da Silva. During his childhood, Neymar played street football as well as futsal. Neymar Jr. Biography, Achievements, Career Info, Records & Stats Learn about Neymar Jr., the Brazilian football star who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and the national team. Explore his biography, achievements, records and stats at Sportskeeda. Neymar A precocious talent. Born on 5 February 1992 in the state of Sao Paulo, Neymar attracted attention at an early age with his prodigious dribbling skills, speed of execution, vision, passing and his eye for goal. A Santos youth player from 2003, he broke into the Brazilian club's youth team in 2009, winning the Copa Libertadores with them in ... Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, also known as Neymar Júnior, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, he is known for his flamboyant style of play, dribbling abilities, and two-footedness. Neymar has scored at least 100 goals for three ... Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, known as Neymar or Neymar Jr. (born 5 February 1992) is a Brazilian footballer.He can play as a left or right winger, as an attacking midfielder or as a striker.He plays for Al Hilal SFC and the Brazil national team.He is the most expensive footballer of all time with a transfer fee of 222 million euros from FC Barcelona to PSG in August 2017. How Neymar Has Come to Embody Soccer's Modern Age Jonathan Wilson. Feb 4, 2022. On Saturday, Neymar turns 30. The boy prince will be no more. That "Jr." after his name to distinguish him from his father will seem increasingly incongruous. In ... Neymar Jr. Biography: Childhood, Career and Achievements Neymar Jr. was born on February 5 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil. He is the son of Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine Da Silva. His father was a professional footballer and his inspiration. Neymar's first club team was Santos. Neymar currently has won 26 professional championships, which breakdown as follows: Santos (6), Barcelona (8), PSG (11 ... Neymar Neymar. The 32-year-old is widely considered to be one of the most talented attacking players of his generation and has won multiple major trophies at club level. Born in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil ... Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr., was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil. He began playing soccer as a boy under the guidance of his father, a former professional soccer player. Neymar played street and indoor five-a-side soccer before joining a youth team in São Vicente, in southeastern Brazil. In 2003 he and his family moved to ... Neymar Jr: What we learned from The Perfect Chaos A back injury brought an early halt to Neymar Jr's World Cup on home soil in 2014, before he had to endure the painful scenes of his team-mates being demolished 7-1 by Germany in the semi-final. Neymar Height, Weight, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography & More Bio/Wiki; Full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior: Other name: Neymar Jr. Nickname(s) • Juninho [1] Instagram - Rafaella • Joia • Ney • Neymaravilha: Profession(s) • Footballer • Singer • Actor: Famous for: Being the highest goalscorer for Brazil: Physical Stats & More: Height (approx.) in centimeters- 175 cm in meters- 1.75 m ... Neymar Other position: Second Striker Attacking Midfield. Facts and data . Full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior Date of birth/Age: Feb 5, 1992 (32) Place of birth: Mogi das Cruzes Height: 1,75 m Citizenship: Brazil Position: Attack - Left Winger Foot: right Player agent: Relatives Current club: Al-Hilal SFC Joined: Aug 15, 2023 Contract expires: Jun 30, 2025 Contract option: Option for a further ... Neymar biography Neymar biography and profile. Neymar arrived to Santos back in 2003, to start playing for the club's youth categories. He started becoming popular very early and way before turning a professional player. When he turned 14, he traveled to Madrid in Spain in order to go through some trials at the Merengues and according to the reports he was immediately accepted. Neymar : my story : conversations with my father Neymar Jr's talent has always been astonishing. But it could have been lost had it not been carefully nurtured, developed and managed. This beautiful and touching story reveals the making of one of the greatest and most iconic players on the planet as told by father and son, with exclusive insights into Neymar Jr's life and career, his ... Neymar Jr From 'Young talent' to 'Superstar' - only few have taken the crazy journey like Neymar, and gone from just being a big talent to a full on superstar.Special ... Neymar Facts for Kids Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team.A prolific goalscorer and renowned playmaker, he is regarded as one of the best players in the world. Neymar has scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs, making him one of three ... Neymar Neymar Jr. Neymar Junior; Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior; Neymar Silva Santos Junior; Language Label Description Also known as; English: Neymar. Brazilian association football player. Neymar Jr. Neymar Junior; Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior; Neymar Silva Santos Junior; Statements. instance of. human. 2 references. Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Mogi das Cruzes, 5 de fevereiro de 1992) é um futebolista brasileiro que atua como atacante.Atualmente joga no Al-Hilal, da Arábia Saudita.. Revelado pelo Santos em 2009, desde cedo correspondeu às expectativas e conquistou diversos títulos com o clube, incluindo dois Campeonatos Paulistas seguidos, uma Copa do Brasil e uma Libertadores, sendo esta a ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis