Neymar
Neymar
Neymar at his Paris Saint-Germain unveiling in 2017
| |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1992 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2][3][4] | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team
| Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| Number | 10[5] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2003 | Portuguesa Santista | ||
| 2003–2009 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2013 | Santos | 102 | (54) |
| 2013–2017 | Barcelona | 123 | (68) |
| 2017– | Paris Saint-Germain | 15 | (15) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009 | Brazil U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2011 | Brazil U20 | 7 | (9) |
| 2012–2016 | Brazil U23 | 14 | (8) |
| 2010– | Brazil | 83 | (53) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:50, 17 January 2018 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2017 | |||
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Portuguese pronunciation: [nejˈmaʁ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈsɐ̃tus ˈʒũɲoʁ]; born 5 February 1992), commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for French club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team.
Neymar came into prominence at an early age at Santos, where he made his professional debut aged 17. He helped the club win two successive Campeonato Paulista championships, a Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores, Santos' first continental title since 1963. Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year, in 2011 and 2012, before relocating to Europe to join Barcelona. As part of Barça's attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, he won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League in the 2014–15 season, followed the next year by the domestic double. He came third for the FIFA Ballon d'Orin 2015. In August 2017, Neymar moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in a transaction worth €222 million, making him the world's most expensive player.[note 1]
With 53 goals in 83 matches for Brazil since debuting at age 18, Neymar is the fourth-highest goalscorer for his national team. He was a key player in Brazil's victories at the 2011 South American Youth Championship, which he finished as the leading goalscorer, and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he won the Golden Ball as player of the tournament. His participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 Copa América was cut short by injury and a suspension respectively, but the next year he captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men's football at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Known for his dribbling, finishing, and ability with both feet, Neymar has earned comparisons to former Brazil and Santos forward Pelé. 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.
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[hide]Early life
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, to Neymar Santos, Sr. and Nadine da Silva. 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.[8] 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."[9] Growing up, Neymar combined his love of futsal with street football.[10]
In 2003, Neymar moved with his family to São Vicente, where he began playing for youth side Portuguesa Santista.[11] Then, later in 2003, they moved to Santos, where Neymar joined Santos FC.[12] With the success of his youth career and added income, the family bought their first property, a house next to the Vila Belmiro. Their quality of family life improved, as at age 15, Neymar was earning 10,000 reais per month and at 16, 125,000 reais per month. At 17, he signed his first full professional contract, was upgraded to the Santos first team, and began signing his first sponsorship deals.[13]
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