Neymar da Silva Junior, also known as Neymar is a Brazilian professional footballer. He plays forward for the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain as well as the Brazil national soccer team. He is widely considered one of the greatest players in the world.
At Santos, Neymar rose to prominence. He made his professional debut at the age of 17. The club won two consecutive Campeonato Paulista titles, one Copa do Brasil and one Copa Libertadores. This was Santos’ first Copa Libertadores since 1963. In 2011 and 2012, Neymar was named South American Footballer Of The Year twice. He soon moved to Europe to join Barcelona. He was part of the attacking trio of Barcelona with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and won the continental treble of La Liga and Copa del Rey. In 2015, he finished third in the FIFA Ballon d’Or for his performances. In 2015-16, he was awarded a domestic double. He was the most expensive player to ever move to Paris Saint-Germain, where he transferred for EUR222 million in 2017. France’s Neymar won three league titles and three Coupe de France. He was also voted Coupe de la Ligue Player of the year in his first season. PSG’s 2019-20 domestic quadruple was achieved by Neymar, who also led the club to the Champions League Final.
Since his debut at 18 years old, Neymar has scored 71 goals in 117 matches for Brazil. He trails Pele as the second highest goal scorer for Brazil’s national team. He was an integral part of Brazil’s wins at the 2011 South American Youth Championship where he finished as the leading goalscorer and at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup where he won a Golden Ball. After being injured and suspended, he was unable to participate in the 2015 FIFA World Cup or 2015 Copa America. He then led Brazil to the first Olympic gold medal in men’s football at the 2016 Summer Olympics. After he resigned from the captaincy, his participation at the 2018 FIFA World Cup was cut short by injury. He then helped Brazil finish as runner-up at the 2021 tournament.
Neymar is one of the most well-known sportsmen in the world. SportsPro named him the world’s most marketable athlete in 2012 and 2013. ESPN also cited him in 2016 as the fourth-most popular athlete in the world. He was included in Time’s 2017 annual list of the 100 most influential persons in the world. France Football ranked Neymar third in the world for highest-paid footballer in 2018. Forbes ranked Neymar the third highest-paid athlete in the world, dropping one spot to fourth in 2020
| Full name | Neymar da Silva Santos Junior |
| Date of birth | 5 February 1992, age 30 |
| Place of birth | Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil |
| Height | 1.75m (5 ft 9in) |
| Position(s) | Forward |
| Club information | |
| Current team | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Number | 10 |
Early life
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, to Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine da Silva. His father was a former footballer. He became the advisor to his son as his talents grew. Neymar says that his father is always there for him. He looks after my finances, family, and everything else. Neymar grew up playing futsal and street football. Neymar stated that futsal was a major influence on his growing up. It helped him to develop his technique, speed, and ability to do moves in tight spaces.
Neymar and his family moved to Sao Vicente in 2003. There, he started playing for the youth side Portuguesa Santista. Later in 2003, Neymar and his family moved to Santos where Neymar joined Santos FC. The family purchased their first property next to Vila Belmiro (Santos’ home stadium), after Neymar’s youth success and increased income. As a result, their quality of life was better. At age 15, Neymar earned 10,000 reais per monthly and at 16 he earned 125,000 reais each month. He signed his first professional contract at age 17, was promoted to the Santos team and signed his first sponsorship deals.
Personal life
After winning the gold medal with Brazil in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Neymar demonstrates his Christian faith
Neymar, a former girlfriend Carolina Dantas, has a son, Davi Lucca, who was born 13 August 2011. He shares a close relationship with his sister Rafaella Beckran. Beckran tattooed his brother’s eyes on his arm while Neymar tattooed his face on his arm.
Neymar is a Christian and follows the Pentecostal branch. Neymar said that his faith is only meaningful when Christ is our highest ideal. He has worn a headband that says “100% Jesus” and has also worn it. According to reports, Neymar also gives 10% of his income to his church. He has chosen Kaka as his role model religiously. Neymar organizes a charity match each year with Nene, a Brazilian footballer, in Jundiai to raise food for the poor. Neymar speaks Spanish as well as his native Portuguese.
Police announced in July 2019 that Neymar’s rape case would be dropped because there was not enough evidence.
It was reported that Neymar and his PSG teammates Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes tested positive for COVID-19 on the 2nd of September 2020. L’Equipe, a French newspaper about sports, reported that the three players went on vacation to Ibiza. They were placed in quarantine for one week and the rest of their playing and working colleagues were to undergo a coronavirus testing within the same week.
After being hit in the head with a baton, Neymar claimed that Alvaro Gonzalez had racially harassed him during a match between Paris Saint-Germain & Marseille. After the match, Neymar reacted on social media. The Spanish defender denied making any racist remarks. Neymar received a ban of two matches for his actions on 16 September. Ligue 1 began an investigation into the alleged racist remarks made by Alvaro. A Spanish radio station Cadena SER, which is based in Spain, claimed that it had footage of Neymar racially abusing Hiroki Sakai. Ligue 1 decided on 30 September that neither Alvaro nor Neymar would be suspended because there was not enough evidence of their wrongdoings. Sakai also denied that Neymar made racist remarks towards him the day following the ruling.
International career
Neymar in August 2010 at a press conference held by Brazil’s national team. At the age of 18, he made his international debut in that month.
Former Brazilian footballers Romario and Pele urged Dunga to send Neymar to the 2010 World Cup. Although there was widespread consensus that Neymar should be selected for Dunga’s squad, 14,000 signatures were collected. Despite the pressure from Romario and Pele to select Neymar, Dunga did not include him in the squad of 23 or the stand-by roster. Dunga called Neymar “extremely gifted”, but he claimed that he hadn’t been sufficiently tested at international level to be eligible for a World Cup spot, and that he didn’t impress enough on international duty.
Neymar celebrates with Andre Santos & Ramires his goal for Brazil against Scotland on 27 March 2011.
Mano Menezes, the new head coach of Brazil, selected Neymar for the first time as a member of the senior team. The match was to be played against the United States in East Rutherford (New Jersey) on 26 July 2010. He made his debut in the match as a national team player at the age of 18 and wore the number 11 jersey. After 28 minutes, he scored a goal from a Andre Santos cross. This resulted in Brazil’s 2-0 victory. Neymar stated that being part of the Brazilian team was a privilege. There are many great players, and it’s a privilege to be there. He scored twice against Scotland in a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on 27 March 2011. After Neymar scored from the penalty spot, a banana was thrown onto Neymar’s pitch. This led Neymar complaining about “constant jeering” and an atmosphere of racism, suggesting that Scottish fans were racist. Although the Scottish officials claimed that Neymar was booed for feigning injury, a German student in the stadium said that the banana was thrown with no racist intent. The Brazilian Football Confederation was contacted by the Scottish Football Association to apologize for the accusations against the Scottish football fans. Neymar refused to apologize or retract his statements, claiming that he had not “accused any person or any group or supporters”.
Neymar is primarily a striker, second striker or winger. He has also been called “a true phenomenon”. Because of his energetic pace, playmaking skills, and his ability to drift infield, Neymar often plays as a left-sided forward for club and country in the 4-3-3 team formation. This position allows him to use his stronger foot to create opportunities for his teammates. Neymar’s playmaking abilities, tricks and dribbling skills are similar to his compatriot Ronaldinho. His key traits include his creativity, vision and passing. He also has a knack for finishing and dribbling. He is known for his rainbow flick. He is a prolific goal scorer, though he is naturally right-footed. However, he can also score with his head and both feet. He is also a skilled free-kick-taker and penalty taker. Neymar said: “I am always striving to perfect everything – shooting, dribbling and headings, as well as control. There is always room for improvement. He was inspired by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
Neymar, who played for Brazil in 2011, as compared to his compatriots Ronaldinho and Pele.
Ronaldinho, the Brazilian playmaker, had praised Neymar for being a promising player when he was young. He stated in 2013 that Neymar was still young and that he couldn’t wait to see what he would do. He will be the world’s best player in the next two to three seasons. Ronaldo, a former World Cup winner from Brazil, also believes that Neymar can become the best player in the world. He said: “Logically, Messi wins, but Neymar has a great talent and will prove the world that he is number one.” Jorge Valdano, former sporting director at Real Madrid, has also spoken highly of Neymar. He said: “I like Neymar very much. His individual actions often result in a goal, and sometimes it’s just a move that only seems like it’s happening with him on pitch. Neymar was a great player after he joined Barcelona.
“So, circus Neymar arrived at Dortmund. In every fascinating and frustrating detail, you could see the Brazilian’s moods and histrionics as well as petulance and goalscoring prowess.
Following a Champions League match for PSG against Borussia Dortmund in February 2020, Forbes reveals some of the characteristics associated with Neymar.
Neymar has also been criticised for excessive diving in tackles by other players. Pele said that Neymar is a player who can’t take many hits and “e” was the reason. He will often fall, because he cannot do anything else. But he was doing it too often. He said, “Even when it’s fouled, he cannot make a spectacle of it.” The 2018 World Cup saw Neymar’s daring antics inspire the Neymar Challenge on social media for dramatic dives. He is the star player for Brazil (and PSG), and is frequently the most targeted player on field. In 2018, he was also the most fouled player in Europe’s top leagues. He is often criticized for being divisive in the sport and has been accused of exaggerating injuries. Eric Cantona said that Neymar was a “great actor”, and compared him to a wheeled luggage: “You barely touch it, it turns around and continues turning for hours.” After being criticised for his histrionics and petulance, Neymar appeared in a 2018 World Cup commercial. He admitted that he was unable to cope with his frustrations and said that he would change. He has also had to deal with injuries throughout his career.
