Neymar Jr: The Brazilian Football Magician

Introduction

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, often referred to as one of the greatest football players of his generation, is a name that resonates with skill, creativity, and flair on the pitch. Born as Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, Neymar Jr has become an icon in the football world. From dazzling dribbles to crucial goals, his journey is nothing short of inspiring.

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply he, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or forward for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team. Widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation, he is known for his skills, dribbling, playmaking, and finishing. Neymar is one of the few players to have scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs. He is the highest-scoring Brazilian in the UEFA Champions League and is also Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer.

Neymar made his professional debut with Santos in 2009. In 2011, he helped them win their first Copa Libertadores in nearly 50 years. In 2013, he joined Barcelona and became part of an attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, dubbed MSN. Winning the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League in the trio’s first season, Neymar was the joint-top goalscorer of the Champions League campaign and top goalscorer of the Copa del Rey.

In his final season, he reached 100 goals for Barcelona and set the record for most assists in a Champions League campaign. Motivated to assume focal responsibility, Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017 for a transfer worth €222 million, making him the most expensive player ever. 

He largely contributed to PSG’s continuation of Ligue 1 title dominance and PSG reaching its first Champions League final, whilst establishing himself as one of the club’s highest ever scorers. Continuing injuries caused PSG to sell him in 2023 to Al Hilal for €90 million, a Saudi Pro League record transfer.

At 18, he debuted for Brazil. He is the nation’s all-time top goalscorer, with 79 goals in 128 matches. He won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning the Golden Ball. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he was named in the Dream Team.

He captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men’s football in the 2016 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal at the 2012 edition. He helped Brazil finish runner-up to Argentina in the 2021 Copa América and was jointly awarded Best Player. In the 2022 World Cup, he became the third Brazilian player to score in three World Cups after Pelé and Ronaldo. Neymar has won a record six Samba Gold awards.

He was named in the FIFA FIFPro World11, the UEFA Team of the Year twice, and the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season three times. He finished third for the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2015 and 2017 and won the FIFA Puskás Award in 2011. SportsPro named Neymar the world’s most marketable athlete in 2012 and 2013. In 2017, Time included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. France Football ranked Neymar the world’s third-highest-paid footballer of 2018. Forbes ranked him the world’s third-highest-paid athlete of 2019, and dropped him to fourth in 2020.

Early Life and Beginnings

He grew up in a humble background, showing his prodigious football talent at a young age. Inspired by his father, who was also a footballer, Neymar Jr honed his skills in futsal and street football, which contributed to his exceptional ball control and agility.

At just 11 years old, he joined the Santos FC youth academy, where his abilities quickly drew attention. By 2009, He made his professional debut for Santos FC, marking the start of a remarkable career. Neymar 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. He 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, He 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, 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.

Rise to Stardom at Santos FC

Playing for Santos FC, Neymar Jr established himself as a young prodigy. His stunning performances helped the club secure numerous titles, including the Copa do Brasil and the Copa Libertadores, the latter being the club’s first win since Pele’s era.

During his time at Santos, he won the South American Footballer of the Year award twice, in 2011 and 2012, solidifying his reputation as a future global superstar.

Club career

Santos

Youth

He began playing football at an early age and he was soon spotted by Santos who offered him a contract in 2003; where he was inducted into their youth academy, which has, in the past, produced Brazilian internationals like Coutinho, Clodoaldo, Diego, Elano and Alex.

He also joined the likes of Pepe, Pelé and Robinho in starting out his career at the club, nicknamed Peixe. While in the youth academy, Neymar met Paulo Henrique Ganso, becoming good friends in the process. Aged 14, he travelled to Spain for try outs with the Real Madrid youth team. He did not stay in Madrid, however, as his father decided at the time that he preferred the young prodigy to keep growing up while playing at Santos.

2009: Debut season

He made his professional debut on 7 March 2009, despite being only 17 years old. He was brought on for the last thirty minutes, in a 2–1 win against Oeste. The following week he scored his first goal for Santos against Mogi Mirim. One month later, on 11 April, Neymar scored the decisive goal in a 2–1 win against Palmeiras in the 2009 Campeonato Paulista semi-final first leg. In the final, however, Santos suffered a 4–2 aggregate defeat to Corinthians. In his first season, he racked up 14 goals in 48 games.

2010: Campeonato Paulista success

“The 18-year-old is a magnificent prospect. He is sleek and skilful, able to beat the defender on either side, capable of combining well, and full of tricks he can put to productive use in and around the penalty area.”

—South American football journalist Tim Vickery on Neymar in 2010.

He continued his ascendancy in 2010, and, on 15 April, he scored five goals for Santos in an 8–1 rout of Guarani in the qualifying stages of the Brazilian Cup. Following the 2010 Campeonato Paulista in which he scored 14 goals in 19 games, the club were crowned champions after a 5–5 aggregate win over Santo André in the finals. Neymar was subsequently given the award for the best player in the competition. Neymar’s performances for Santos drew comparisons to other Brazilians, including Robinho and Pelé.

In 2010, Santos rejected a £12 million bid for him from English Premier League team West Ham United, and later an offer from another English club, Chelsea, reported to be in the region of £20 million. Despite the unwillingness of Santos to sell and Neymar himself stating: “I’m focused only on Santos”, his agent, Wagner Ribeiro, indicated that Neymar’s career was elsewhere, stating: “He wants to become the best player in the world.

The chances of him doing that while playing in Brazil are zero.” One year later Neymar said, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, that he had been happy with Chelsea’s interest in him as it was a “dream” of his “to play in Europe”, while also stating that at the time it had been the right decision to stay in Brazil.

On 30 November 2010, Santos sold a 5% share of future transfer fees that he would receive to an investment group, Terceira Estrela Investimentos S.A. (TEISA), for R$ 3,549,900 (€1.5 million). The previous year, his family had sold a 40% stake in Neymar’s sporting rights to the DIS Esporte group who had been a long-term strategic partner of Santos’ football club.

Despite his first two seasons being highly successful, having ended the 2010 season with an impressive 42 goals in 60 games, problems had been identified, namely he apparent taste for diving when tackled, rather than attempting to continue his run, and his attitude. The latter came to the forefront during a match with Atlético Goianiense, on 15 September 2010, when the Santos’ manager, Dorival Júnior, appointed another player to take the penalty awarded for a foul on Neymar. 

His decision was based on the fact that he had missed a crucial penalty during the Copa do Brasil final of that year, even if Santos went on to win. Reacting to this, Neymar turned his back on his manager, had to be calmed down by a linesman and argued with his captain, Edu Dracena. The fallout from this event was that Dorival Júnior wished to have Neymar suspended for two weeks, but the board sided with the player and promptly sacked the manager.

Despite he apologies over the incident, some doubts still remain about his attitude. In December 2010, aged just 18, Neymar came third for the 2010 South American Footballer of the Year, behind Andrés D’Alessandro and Juan Sebastián Verón.

2011: Puskás Award

He scored six goals during Santos’ run to the 2011 Copa Libertadores Finals, tying him for third top goalscorer, including the clinching goal of Santos’ 4–3 aggregate win over Cerro Porteño in the semi-finals. In the two-legged final, Santos faced Uruguayan side Peñarol and drew the first leg 0–0 in Montevideo. At home in the second leg, Neymar opened the scoring in the 46th minute as Santos held on for a 2–1 win and he won Man of the Match honours. The win brought Santos their first Copa Libertadores triumph since 1963, when Brazilian legend Pelé was playing for the club.

In September 2011, Santos club president Luís Ribeiro threatened to report Real Madrid to FIFA following reports that they had attempted to sign Neymar to a pre-contract agreement, and denied that such an agreement was in place. On 9 November, Neymar and Santos agreed to a contract extension that would see the player stay with the club until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The deal reportedly increased Neymar’s wages by 50%, to the levels that top European clubs would be paying him. On 14 December, Neymar scored the opening goal for Santos as they defeated Kashiwa Reysol 3–1 in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup at the Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, but failed to score against Barcelona in the final on 18 December, where Santos were defeated 4–0, finishing as runners-up in the competition. 

He won the 2011 FIFA Puskás Award for scoring a solo goal in the Brasileirão Série A against Flamengo, in a 5–4 loss. On 31 December, he won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award for the first time, by a record margin, following in the footsteps of Diego Maradona, Romário, Pelé and Zico.

2012: South America’s best player

On 5 February 2012, when he turned 20, Neymar scored his 100th goal as a professional football player, against Palmeiras in the Campeonato Paulista. On 25 February – he scored two goals, one of which was from 25-yards – and created two assists to help his side to a 6–1 win over Ponte Preta. On 7 March, he netted a hat-trick as Santos saw off Brazilian rivals Internacional 3–1 in the Copa Libertadores Group stage match. On 29 March, he scored a brace against Guaratinguetá in a 5–0 victory. 

In the fixture against São Paulo on 29 April 2012, he scored a hat-trick with the match ending 3–1. Thereafter, he went on to score twice in the first and second legs in the 2012 Campeonato Paulista Finals against Guarani, which ended 7–2 on aggregate. Neymar finished the 2012 Campeonato Paulista with 20 goals and was voted the Best player and Best Forward, and Santos were crowned champions. He was joint top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with eight goals, after Santos were beaten over two legs by eventual champions Corinthians in the semi-finals.

On 25 August 2012, he scored a brace in the 2–1 away win at Palmeiras. On 3 November, in the Brasileiro Série A away fixture at Cruzeiro, Neymar scored a hat-trick and assisted Felipe Anderson’s goal, to help his side to a 4–0 win. He finished off the 2012 season in style, first setting-up Victor Andrade’s equaliser, then scoring twice, to give Santos a 3–1 home win over Palmeiras on 1 December. 

He was voted the Best Player of the 2012 Recopa Sudamericana, with himself scoring in the second leg to win the title 2–0 on aggregate. He finished the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with 14 goals and being voted the Best forward. Neymar finished the 2012 season, being award the Golden Ball, Arthur Friedenreich Award and Armando Nogueira Trophy. He was one of three finalists in the 2012 FIFA Puskás Award and finished runners-up behind Miroslav Stoch. He won the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, retaining his award and winning it ahead of the likes of Ronaldinho.

2013: Final season

He started the 2013 Campeonato Paulista scoring twice in the first match, which ended a 3–1 win over São Bernardo on 19 January 2013. On 3 February, in the Paulista fixture against São Paulo, where Santos won 3–1, with Neymar scoring and making two assists. On 18 March, Neymar told that he had a “dream of playing in Europe, for a big club like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea.” But he went on to say, “There’s no point in speculating when I’ll leave Santos. I’ll leave when I want to.”

He scored all four goals, had another disallowed and hit the post as Santos beat União Barbarense 4–0 in the Paulista on 13 April. On 25 April, his agent and father revealed that he intended to leave for Europe before the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ahead of his last match for Santos, on 26 May against Flamengo, Neymar was in tears during the national anthem.

Barcelona

On 24 May 2013, Santos announced that they had received two offers for his. The following day, Neymar announced he would sign with Barcelona on 27 May and join the team after playing in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Neither Neymar nor the clubs released details on the transfer fee or personal terms, save to say he signed a five-year deal. On 3 June, Neymar was unveiled by Barcelona after passing medical tests and signing a contract that would keep him at the club through June 2018.

He was presented at the Camp Nou in front of 56,500 fans, a record turnout for a Brazilian player. Club vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu initially said Neymar’s transfer fee was €57.1 million and his release clause set at €190 million. Barcelona’s doctor suggested he might need to gain weight to be able to cope physically in Spanish football.

Transfer investigation

In January 2014, the prosecutor’s office in Madrid began investigating the transfer fee that Barcelona paid for his. The documents submitted to the authorities on request contained contradictory information. On 23 January 2014, Rosell resigned from his position as president. A day later, the details of the transfer were revealed by Barcelona; the transfer had in fact cost them €86.2 million (£71.5 million), with Neymar’s parents confirmed to have received a €40 million sum. In the aftermath, Barcelona and Bartomeu were charged with tax fraud.

2013–14: Adapting to Spain

On 30 July 2013, Barcelona drew 2–2 against Lechia Gdańsk in a pre-season friendly; He made his unofficial debut when he came on as a substitute. He scored his first goal for the club in a 7–1 win against a Thailand XI on 7 August at the Rajamangala National Stadium. Neymar made his competitive debut for Barcelona during the opening game of the 2013–14 La Liga season as a 63rd-minute substitute for Alexis Sánchez in a 7–0 win against Levante. 

On 21 August, he scored his first competitive goal for the club in the first leg of the 2013 Supercopa de España against Atlético Madrid: seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Pedro, he headed Dani Alves’ cross to equalise in a 1–1 draw at the Vicente Calderón Stadium as Barcelona won on the away goals rule for his first trophy at the club. On 18 September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, assisting a Gerard Piqué goal as Barça beat Ajax 4–0 in their opening match of the 2013–14 tournament.

Six days later, he scored his first goal in La Liga in Barcelona’s 4–1 defeat of Real Sociedad at Camp Nou. On 26 October, he made his first El Clásico appearance, scoring the opening goal and assisting the team’s winning goal scored by Alexis Sánchez as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2–1 at Camp Nou. On 11 December, Neymar recorded his first three Champions League goals as he scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over Celtic in Barcelona’s final Group H match.

2014–15: The treble and individual success

On 13 September 2014, after appearing as a substitute, he scored his first two goals of the 2014–15 season, helping Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2–0. On 27 September, he scored a hat-trick against Granada in a 6–0 win and scored in his next three La Liga matches, including the opening goal in a 1–3 loss to Real Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

On 24 January 2015, he scored twice and assisted two more goals in a 6–0 win at Elche. On 28 January, he scored his 20th goal of the season in a 3–2 Copa del Rey quarter-final win over Atlético Madrid. On 4 March, he scored twice in Barcelona’s 3–1 Copa del Rey semi-final win over Villarreal to qualify the club for its 37th Spanish Cup final. On 21 April, Neymar took his tally to 30 goals for the season by scoring twice in Barcelona’s 2–0 Champions League quarter-final win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

In May, the closing month of the season, he scored the last goal in a 3–0 win against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. A week later, he scored both the team’s goals in a 3–2-second leg defeat at the Allianz Arena to ensure Barça would qualify for the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final. He also opened the scoring with a header in a 2–0 league win versus Real Sociedad, a result which gave Barça a four-point lead over Real Madrid with only two matches remaining.

After securing the league title on 17 May with a 1–0 win over Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–1 at Camp Nou in the 2015 Copa del Rey Final on 30 May, with he scoring the second goal for Barça. With Barcelona’s victory likely, he performed tricks with the ball in the final stages of the game, which was deemed unsporting by opponent Andoni Iraola. Barcelona manager Luis Enrique claimed that it had to be understood that such behaviour was acceptable in Brazil, while Neymar himself did not apologise.

On 6 June, he scored the third goal for Barça in the 3–1 Champions League Final defeat of Italian champions Juventus at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, ensuring the club won its fifth European Cup. This made Barcelona the first club in history to twice win the treble of domestic league, domestic cup and European Cup. 

On a personal note, he became the eighth player in football’s history to win both the Copa Libertadores and the UEFA Champions League, and the first player to score in final victories in both competitions. Neymar ended the season with 39 goals in all competitions and 10 in the Champions League, making him joint highest scorer with Cristiano Ronaldo and teammate Lionel Messi in the latter competition. 

He was the first player apart from those two to top the competition’s scoring list, since compatriot Kaká in 2006–07. Barcelona’s attacking trio of Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, dubbed “MSN”, ended with 122 goals, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish football history.

2015–16: Domestic double

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Due to having the mumps, he was expected to miss the 2015 UEFA Super Cup and the 2015 Supercopa de España. On 17 October, Neymar scored four goals in Barcelona’s 5–2 home win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga, taking his total to eight goals for the season. On 21 November, Neymar scored one and provided a back heel assist for Andrés Iniesta in Barcelona’s 4–0 away win against Real Madrid. 

He scored twice in a 4–0 home win over Real Sociedad on 28 November, taking his La Liga total to 14 goals in 12 games. On 30 November, he was shortlisted for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or alongside Messi and Ronaldo, and subsequently came third. On 22 May 2016, Neymar scored a late goal in Barcelona’s 2–0 extra time win over Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey Final at the Vicente Calderón, as the club celebrated winning the domestic double for the second consecutive season, following their treble victory from the previous season. 

The front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar finished the season with 131 goals, breaking the record they had set the previous year for most goals by an attacking trio in a single season.

2016–17: Final season

“While there is a 1% chance, we will have
99% faith.”

— Neymar after the 4–0 loss against PSG
on 15 February 2017

In Barcelona’s 6–1 victory over PSG in the Champions League round of 16, Neymar had a miraculous and heroic role in Barcelona’s comeback, by scoring two goals and assisted the decisive goal of Sergi Roberto during the closing seven-minute sequence, of which he was named man of the match, based on his efforts. Overcoming the 4–0 loss to PSG in the first leg from 14 February 2017, this second leg match became the biggest comeback in Champions League history.

On 2 April, Neymar scored his 100th goal for Barcelona in his 177th appearance for the club, netting in a 4–1 win over Granada. On 27 May, Neymar scored in the 2017 Copa del Rey Final, his 105th goal for the club, as Barcelona defeated Alavés 3–1 at the Vicente Calderón in Madrid.

Desire to leave Barcelona

According to former Barcelona teammate Xavi, Neymar informed his teammates of his desire to leave Barcelona at Messi’s wedding in June 2017. By July 2017, media speculation emerged that Neymar wanted to join PSG, with the club holding talks with Barcelona officials. At 25-years old, Neymar was motivated to leave Barcelona to step out of Messi’s shadow and be the sole star player, increasing the likelihood of him winning the Ballon d’Or. 

Barcelona president, Bartomeu, admitted he was powerless to stop him from wanting to leave: “Neymar is one of our best players and so we don’t want to lose that player,” he said. “We want him to continue with us. He still has four years of his contract so there is nothing else to say […] You know that players decide if they want to leave, they can decide.” On 2 August 2017, Neymar asked Barcelona to allow him to leave.

Paris Saint-Germain

Out of the shadow of Messi, Neymar was viewed as the face of Ligue 1 football

Neymar with Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the PSG chairman and chief executive officer

On 3 August 2017, Barcelona announced that Neymar’s legal representatives made a payment of €222 million to the club, equal to the release clause of his contract, which constituted the most expensive transfer ever. The club informed UEFA so that they can determine any disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case. According to the BBC, in Spain, the release clause must be activated by the footballer himself.

The situation was unusual, in that the fee was paid to the club directly, after La Liga had refused to receive the payment. Usually, the buyout clause is deposited with La Liga in order to release the player from his contract, and the league then passes the money to the selling club. However, La Liga rejected the payment—citing violation of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules by PSG, who are backed by money from Gulf state Qatar.

Neymar joined PSG on a contract that would run until 2022. He was offered the number 10 shirt by Javier Pastore as a “welcome gift”. It was believed that PSG signed Neymar to increase their chances of winning the Champions League.

The relationship between Neymar and Barcelona fans was tainted following his unexpected transfer to PSG, with some fans burning Barcelona jerseys with Neymar’s name on it. In his presentation on 17 August, Neymar said that leaving Barcelona was one of the toughest decisions in his life. 

The presentation was reported to have been watched by 85 million viewers in Brazil. Neymar was unequivocally considered the star player of Ligue 1; Lille’s general director Marc Ingla credited the presence of Neymar in Ligue 1 to potentially accelerating it into a powerhouse league in Europe, alongside the Premier League and La Liga.

Contract breach lawsuit

On 27 August 2017, Barcelona filed a lawsuit against Neymar, demanding he return the contract renewal bonus he received as well as €8.5 million in damages and an additional 10% for the arrears. They claimed they are owed money that Neymar received as part of a renewal bonus when he signed a new contract in 2016. The club also requested PSG to take on the responsibility for the payment of the fees if the player cannot do so himself. Neymar’s lawyers announced that they would contest the case.

2017–18: Debut season and domestic treble

Neymar made his debut for Les Rouge-et-Bleu on 13 August 2017, scoring a goal and assisting another in a 3–0 away victory over Guingamp. Highlighting the hype around Neymar’s arrival in Paris, the match was broadcast in 183 countries. After the match, Neymar said, “People think that leaving Barca is to die, but it’s the opposite […] I’m more alive than ever.”

He added two more goals to his tally in the next Ligue 1 fixture against Toulouse. Forming a prolific attacking trio alongside teenage French prodigy Kylian Mbappé and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, Neymar scored one each in PSG’s two opening games of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage, with the team winning 5–0 at Celtic and 3–0 at home over Bayern Munich respectively. Neymar finished in third place in the 2017 Ballon d’Or and in the same year was ranked the third-best footballer in the world by The Guardian, both times behind Messi and Ronaldo.

During a 3–0 defeat of rivals Marseille on 25 February 2018, Neymar fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. He travelled to Belo Horizonte and underwent a successful operation on his foot. Despite failing to make another appearance for PSG while recovering from the injury, Neymar consequently ended his first season in Paris with 28 goals in 30 matches, including 6 goals in 7 Champions League matches. A testament to the success of his debut season, Neymar was awarded the Ligue 1 Player of the Year.

Neymar was rushed back to play for Brazil at the 2018 World Cup in Russia following the injury in February, but his playing style was not quite the same as he appeared to be avoiding physical contact entirely rather than simply trying to draw fouls.

2018–19: Injury and league title

On 12 August 2018, Neymar scored PSG’s opening league goal of the 2018–19 season in a 3–0 win over Caen at Parc des Princes. Neymar scored from a penalty in his next game as PSG won 3–1 against Guingamp in Ligue 1. In the following league game, the front three of Neymar, Mbappé and Cavani all scored in a 3–1 win over Angers at home, with Neymar scoring from Mbappé’s cut back and setting up Cavani to score the opener.

On 3 October, Neymar scored a hattrick in a 6–1 win over Red Star Belgrade in a Champions League group stage fixture. He suffered a foot injury in late January 2019 that kept him out of his side’s Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester United. After United eliminated PSG, Neymar went on Instagram insulting video review officials for awarding a stoppage-time penalty to United; UEFA banned Neymar for three matches for the insult.

On 27 April, Neymar scored in the 2019 Coupe de France Final against Rennes, but Rennes made a comeback and won on penalties. After the match, Neymar was caught on video appearing to punch a spectator in the face. The spectator had been filming and insulting PSG players. PSG said they supported Neymar “100 percent” over the incident. Neymar admitted he was wrong, but argued that neither he nor anyone else could have stayed indifferent. PSG coach Thomas Tuchel responded: “It’s not easy to climb the stairs after a defeat. If we lose, we must show respect. You can’t come into conflict with a spectator.”

Potential return to Barcelona

In July 2019, Neymar was absent from training with PSG, with the club talking disciplinary action. Neymar wanted to leave PSG as he felt referees never protected him, there was jealousy towards him from some dressing room team-mates, fans did not appreciate his talent showcased in PSG and sections of the French media were against him.

According to Sky Sports News, Neymar was prepared to pay €20m of his own money to PSG in five instalments to facilitate a move to Barcelona. On 27 August 2019, both clubs met to discuss Neymar’s situation, but according to PSG sporting director Leonardo, Barcelona’s only written offer came during the meeting, which was not enough and PSG refused. 

Three days later, on 30 August, an offer was made in writing from Neymar to PSG general manager Jean-Claude Blanc. Neymar’s offer was dismissed by PSG because of French football federation regulations, and he ultimately agreed to stay at PSG after the talks to return to Barcelona broke down. Sky Sports News also reported that Real Madrid were interested in signing Neymar throughout the transfer window.

2019–20: PSG’s first Champions League final

Neymar made his first appearance for PSG in the 2019–20 season on 14 September, in a 1–0 victory over Strasbourg in Ligue 1. He scored the winning goal in injury time in the second half from a bicycle kick. One week later, he again scored a late winner, as PSG defeated Lyon 1–0 at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Neymar suffered a hamstring injury in October while on international duty with Brazil, and returned to play for PSG during their Champions League group match against Real Madrid on 26 November in a 2–2 draw.

Neymar won his third league title after PSG were awarded Ligue 1 as the season finished early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his first 50 matches in Ligue 1, Neymar scored 46 goals, being the first player to do so since Marseille’s Gunnar Andersson in the early 1950s. 

On 24 July 2020, in PSG’s first professional game back after the pandemic, Neymar scored his side’s lone goal in a 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne in the Coupe de France Final, winning his second Coupe de France title with the club. On 31 July, PSG won the 2020 Coupe de la Ligue Final 6–5 on penalties over Lyon, following a 0–0 draw after extra time, which saw the side complete a domestic treble, with Neymar netting one of the penalties in the shoot-out.

In the Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta on 12 August, Neymar assisted the equalising goal in injury time in an eventual 2–1 win. As a result of his performance in the match, the BBC published an article the following day titled ‘Neymar: Is he now the best player in the world?’. In the semi-final against RB Leipzig, he assisted one goal in a 3–0 victory, which saw PSG reach the Champions League final for the first time in their history. 

Marca were also praiseful of Neymar, considering him the most decisive and the best player in the world following his “masterclass” performances leading up to the final. PSG eventually lost out 1–0 to Bayern Munich on 23 August. With his focal ambition of being the talisman to PSG winning its first ever Champions League title, Neymar was distraught and had to be consoled by the club’s sporting director Leonardo.

2020–21: Contract extension

Neymar missed out on the first match of the 2020–21 season because he had tested positive for COVID-19 a week earlier; PSG went on to lose the game against Lens 1–0. However, he returned to training before the match against Marseille on 13 September. PSG lost Le Classique for the first time since 2011 as OM were victorious 1–0 in a match that had 14 yellow cards and five red cards handed out by the referee, including one of each to Neymar.

Neymar scored his first two goals of the season in a 6–1 win against Angers on 2 October. He entered the list of the top ten goal scorers in PSG history by doing so, scoring his 72nd for the club, which put him level with Raí. On 28 October, Neymar suffered an adductor injury in a match against İstanbul Başakşehir, leaving the pitch after 26 minutes of play. 

He made his return to action as a substitute in a 3–2 loss against Monaco on 20 November, and scored his first goal after recovering from his injury in a 1–0 win against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League on 24 November.

On 28 November, Neymar scored his 50th goal in Ligue 1, converting a penalty in PSG’s 2–2 draw against Bordeaux. This made him the fastest player in the club’s history to reach this, doing so in only 58 matches. Four days later, on 2 December, he scored two goals in a 3–1 Champions League victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. In PSG’s final group match, Neymar scored his third career Champions League hat-trick against İstanbul Başakşehir, as his side won 5–1 and qualified for the knockout stage as group winners. 

He became the first player in European Cup and Champions League history to score 20 goals for two different clubs, scoring 21 goals for Barcelona in 40 games, and 20 for PSG in 25 games. In a 1–0 loss to Lyon on 13 December, Neymar suffered an ankle injury after a tackle from Thiago Mendes, and had to be stretchered off the field. 

He avoided a fracture, but was ruled out of action for three weeks with a sprain. His return proved to be exactly one month after his injury, on 13 January 2021, in a 2–1 win over rivals Marseille in the Trophée des Champions, with Neymar scoring the winning goal from a penalty. He sustained a left adductor injury in a 1–0 cup win over Caen on 10 February, ruling him out for four weeks. On 21 March, he was back in action, coming on as a substitute in a 4–2 league win against Lyon.

In the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, PSG were eliminated by Manchester City in the semi-finals. Neymar was absent for PSG’s defeat of Barcelona, but he was present in both matches of the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich and both semi-final confrontations against Man City. On 8 May, he extended his contract with PSG until 2025.

2021–22: Record-tying Ligue 1 title and injuries

On 10 August 2021, Neymar’s former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi signed for PSG. On 29 August, Neymar made his first appearance of the season, being a starter in a 2–0 win over Reims. Messi replaced Neymar at 66th minute of the match, making his debut for the French club. Neymar scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season on 19 September, converting a penalty in a 2–1 win over Lyon. He scored his 400th career goal on 6 November against Bordeaux, where he scored a brace and helped the team to win the match 3–2.

On 28 November, Neymar suffered an ankle injury in a 3–1 win over Saint-Étienne. He was taken off on a stretcher at the 85th minute of the match. His return from injury came on 15 February 2022 in a Champions League match against Real Madrid, where he came on as a substitute and assisted Mbappé’s injury-time goal to win the match 1–0. 

Four days later, he made his return to league play and his first start in 2022 in a match against Nantes; he scored a goal and missed a penalty in a 3–1 loss at the Stade de la Beaujoire. On 13 March, following their Champions League elimination against Real Madrid in the round of 16, Neymar and his team-mate Messi were booed by some of the PSG fans at the Parc des Princes in the league match against Bordeaux. On 21 May, he scored his 100th goal with PSG in a 5–0 win over Metz. 

Neymar helped PSG win their record-tying 10th national championship, finishing the season with 13 goals and 8 assists across all competitions, registering the fewest goals scored since arriving in Europe in 2013, in a season marked by various injuries and collective irregularity.

2022–23: Final season at PSG

Following a disappointing form in the previous season and with the club’s change in transfer policy, Neymar was linked with a potential departure from the club, but the lack of potential suitors broke down a potential move, despite PSG’s Football Advisor Luís Campos dismissing those rumours – stating that Neymar was part of the club’s project. 

He quickly regained his form from his previous season, starting off the season by scoring a goal and providing a hat-trick of assists in a 5–0 win against Clermont on 6 August. As part of his prolific attacking trio alongside Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, on 21 August, all three scored and assisted with Neymar netting twice and registering three more assists in PSG’s 7–1 away win over Lille.

After registering 13 goal contributions in his first five league games, Neymar was named Ligue 1’s Player of the Month in August. By early October 2022, Neymar was considered one of the stand-out players in Europe and back to his best form, having scored 11 goals and providing 9 assists in just 13 games. Manager Christophe Galtier praised Neymar for playing his best ever football in PSG. Neymar’s form in the first half of the season led him to be touted to win the 2023 Ballon d’Or, alongside the likes of Erling Haaland and Mbappé.

On 6 March 2023, PSG announced that Neymar would undergo surgery in Doha and would be ruled out for the remainder of the season. This led to Neymar missing PSG’s second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich, in which PSG ended up being eliminated. After reports that Messi would leave the club following the expiration of his contract, a group of PSG supporters gathered outside the club’s headquarters, protesting against the club’s direction and insulting various figures of the club, including Neymar. Another group of individuals went to Neymar’s house, demanding him to leave the club

August 2023: Departure

“It is naturally difficult to say goodbye to a legend of the club, which Neymar will always be. I will never forget the day he arrived at PSG, nor what he brought to the club and to our project over the course of these six years. We have lived through extraordinary times and Neymar will always be a part of our history. I want to thank him, as well as his family. We wish Neymar the best for the future and for his next adventure.”

— PSG’s President Nasser Al-Khelaifi on Neymar’s departure from Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite being PSG’s fourth-highest scorer and winning ten trophies, including five Ligue 1 titles, Neymar’s tenure at PSG was marred by injuries and unfulfilled expectations, most notably not helping PSG win a Champions League. He missed 119 matches for PSG in total as a result of being injured around 20 times across his six-year spell, showing a fragility that was not seen either at Barcelona or Santos. James Westwood of Goal wrote that Neymar wasted the best years of his career and that in 2017 he had “the world at his feet” playing for Barcelona, throwing away his chance to join Pelé and Messi as a “true legend of the game” by joining PSG.

Regardless, Neymar has been credited as a legend of PSG, trailing only Ibrahimović, Cavani, and Mbappé in the club’s top scorers at the time of his departure. During his time at PSG, he embraced the role of a true number 10, evolving into a more well-rounded player as he took on greater responsibility in dictating the flow of the game, more so than during his tenure at Barcelona.

He also assumed greater priority within the team, being entrusted with set pieces and penalties. His goal-scoring success at PSG made him one of the few players to have scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs, and he also established himself as the highest-scoring Brazilian in the UEFA Champions League at the club.

At the end of the 2022–23 season, PSG began a squad overhaul and after not renewing the contracts of Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi, following the arrival of Luis Enrique as the club’s new manager, Neymar and Marco Verratti were informed that they would not be in the team’s plans for the following season. Shortly after, Neymar was linked with a potential return to Barcelona. However, Barcelona’s hierarchy never reached an advanced stage to discuss finer economic details and possibilities, as the club’s manager Xavi was not keen on signing him, leading both clubs to fail to reach an agreement.

Al Hilal

On 15 August 2023, Neymar completed a transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal on a two-year contract, joining a list of European league players who signed for the club. The transfer fee was reported to be worth €90 million, making him the most expensive purchase in the Saudi Pro League. He is also reportedly being paid €150m a year at Al Hilal, six times the amount he earned at PSG. As a marquee signing, Neymar’s transfer to Al Hilal drew comparisons to former Brazil international Rivellino’s transfer to the club in 1978.

According to The Independent, Barcelona were the only European club who showed genuine interest in signing Neymar; other top clubs turned away primarily due to his high salary and the expected transfer fee to sign him. 

Some media outlets criticised Neymar for choosing to not remain in a top European league and dubbed him as the ‘Prince who never became King’ due to leaving Europe without winning the Ballon d’Or. However, Neymar declared, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Saudi league is better than the French”, in light of fellow star players joining the league, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

On 15 September, in 2023 he made his club debut in Saudi Arabia during a 6–1 thrashing of Al-Riyadh, coming off the bench and providing an assist to a goal by fellow Brazilian, Malcom. 

That same year, on 3 October, Neymar scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 away win against Nassaji Mazandaran in an AFC Champions League group stage match. Having played five games for his new club, Neymar ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while on international duty in October 2023. In January 2024, Al Hilal deregistered Neymar as a result of his season ending injury, in order to free up one of the eight foreign roster spots for Renan Lodi.

European Career: Barcelona and PSG

In 2013, Neymar Jr took a significant step in his career by joining FC Barcelona. Forming a legendary trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Neymar Jr became a cornerstone of the team’s success. The highlight of his time at Barcelona was winning the UEFA Champions League in 2015 and securing the treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League) in the same season.

In 2017, Neymar Jr made headlines by transferring to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a record-breaking €222 million, making him the most expensive player in football history. At PSG, Neymar Jr has continued to shine, helping the team dominate French football and reach the Champions League final in 2020.

International Career with Brazil

Representing Brazil, Neymar Jr has been a pivotal player since his debut in 2010. He has scored over 75 goals for the national team, becoming one of Brazil’s all-time leading scorers.

Some of his notable achievements with the national team include:

• Winning the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he was awarded the Golden Ball.
• Leading Brazil to an emotional gold medal victory at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
• Captaining the team in multiple World Cup campaigns

Neymar primarily plays as a winger or attacking midfielder and has been described in the media as “a true phenomenon”; Highlighting both his prolific scoring and playmaking abilities, he stands as PSG’s fourth-highest-goalscorer of all time and fifth-highest-assister of all time. He often plays as a left winged for both club and country in the team’s 4–3–3 formation due to his pace and playmaking skills; this position allows him to shoot with his stronger foot and create chances for teammates.

Neymar’s dribbling skills and playmaking ability have been described as reminiscent of Brazilian compatriot Ronaldinho. His main traits are his vision, passing, finishing, dribbling, feints, and first touch, being described as both “electric” and “explosive”. He is known for using the rainbow flick. 

A prolific goalscorer, Neymar is two-footed and can even score free-kicks and penalties. Neymar stated: “I’m always trying to perfect everything – dribbling, shooting, headers and control. You can always improve”. He has been inspired by Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, and Wayne Rooney. Neymar cites Kyle Walker as the toughest opponent he has ever faced.

Considered to be a highly promising player in his youth, Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho had also tipped Neymar on becoming the best player in the world, stating in 2013: “Neymar is young though, and I can’t explain how special he will become. In the next two or three seasons he will become the best player.” 

Another Brazilian legend Ronaldo also believed that Neymar could become the best in the world, commenting: “Logically, Messi is better right now but Neymar is a great talent who will show the world that he will be number one”. Former Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano has also praised Neymar, stating: “I like Neymar a lot.

Many of his individual actions result in a goal and often it’s a move that only seems to be happening with him on the pitch.” After joining Barcelona, Neymar established himself as one of the best footballers in the world, generally being considered the third-best player of his generation behind Messi and Ronaldo. Neymar is also widely regarded as the best Brazilian player of his generation.

However, Neymar also has been known and criticised for his excessive diving when tackled by another player. Brazilian legend Pelé has said, “[h]e is a player with a body that can’t take a lot of hits. […] A lot of times he will fall because he can’t do anything else, but he was overdoing it.” He continued: “Even when he is fouled, he can’t make a spectacle out of it”. 

During the 2018 World Cup, Neymar inspired on the “Neymar Challenge” on social media due to his dramatic dives. As the star player for Brazil and PSG, he is often the most targeted player on the field; in 2018, he was the most fouled player in the top five leagues. A divisive figure in the sport, he has been accused of exaggerating injury, with Eric Cantona stating Neymar is a “great actor”, comparing him to a wheeled suitcase: “you barely touch it, and it turns round and round for hours.” 

In response to the criticism over his petulance and histrionics, Neymar starred in a commercial after the 2018 World Cup where he said that he wasn’t able to control his frustrations, which contributed to his theatrics, and he promised to change for the better.

Expectations

Despite being the all-time top goalscorer for Brazil, Neymar is criticised by the media for not fulfilling the expectations set for him at the beginning of his career: winning the Ballon d’Or and leading Brazil to a World Cup win. According to Sports Illustrated, Neymar could end his career as the best player never to win a Ballon d’Or or World Cup. Neymar finished in third place in the 2015 and 2017 editions of the Ballon d’Or, both times behind Messi and Ronaldo.

At PSG, Neymar was also expected to lead them to their first-ever Champions League title; the club lost to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final. His injury struggles at PSG hindered his playing time and his explosiveness. The injuries contributed to him not achieving more in his prime years, as he cumulatively missed 119 matches and played only 31 games in all competitions in the 2020–21 season. In 2023, Spanish publication Marca wrote that “Neymar’s star is dimming due to a seemingly endless string of injuries”.

Neymar was also criticized for his lack of professional discipline, with his desire to party and play late-night poker games. In 2018, Pelé criticised Neymar: “It’s difficult to defend Neymar for all the things he does besides playing football. I’ve been with him in Europe twice. We talked and I explained: ‘The God of football gave you the gift. What you do complicates it’.”

In February 2023, the day after PSG lost to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, images of Neymar in a fast-food restaurant surfaced on social media. Neymar defended himself, saying “It’s my life, I do what I want.”

In 2023, following his departure from Europe to Saudi Arabia at a young age (31), various media outlets dubbed Neymar as the ‘Prince who never became King’. Westwood of Goal cited Neymar’s move to PSG as the reason for him not being regarded as a “true legend of the game”. RMC Sport journalist Daniel Riolo said: “Do we realise that Neymar, in terms of transfer and salary, is the biggest failure in the history of football? I can’t think of a bigger failure for what he cost, it’s horrible.” 

On the contrary, Cox of The Athletic argues that Neymar deserves to be regarded as one of football’s all-time greats in light of becoming Brazil’s all-time topscorer. Brazil coach Fernando Diniz also declared that Neymar is one of the greatest players in history. Lawrence Ostlere of The Independent opinionated that Messi was the only player superior in “every facet of the game” than Neymar.

Comparisons

The media have often drawn comparisons between Neymar and Brazilian legend Pelé, as Neymar possesses similar attributes to that of Pelé, and they both came from the Santos Youth Academy. In February 2013, he was on the cover of Time magazine with the title ‘The Next Pelé’. Neymar has said that Pelé is his “role model” but also said: “I don’t like to make a comparison with Pelé”.

During his prime years, Neymar has frequently been compared to his Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, by 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.” Ronaldo stated: “Neymar is a great talent, the best we have in Brazil.

He is very similar to Messi.” Zico said: “I see Neymar like a [Cristiano] Ronaldo or a Messi, the type who appears and makes things happen.” After his hat-trick in a 3–1 victory against Internacional in the Copa Libertadores and Messi’s five goals scored in the Champions League, Neymar said: “I am a Messi fan. I was told what he did today. I support him to score a lot of nice goals so I can keep copying and imitating him.”

Personal Life

Neymar Jr has a close bond with his family, especially his son, Davi Lucca. He is also known for his love of music and gaming, often sharing glimpses of his personal life on social media. Neymar has a very close sibling relationship with his sister Rafaella Beckran. He honoured Beckran by tattooing her face on his arm while she tattooed her brother’s eyes on her arm. Neymar is the father of three children, each with a different woman, including one son and two daughters.

Neymar is a Christian and follows the Pentecostal branch of the religion. Neymar has said about his faith: “Life only makes sense when our highest ideal is to serve Christ!” Additionally, he has worn a headband with the words “100% Jesus”. Neymar also tithes some of his income to his church and has named Kaká as his religious role model. 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. In addition to his native Portuguese, Neymar also speaks Spanish.

In July 2019, police announced that a rape investigation against Neymar would be dropped due to insufficient evidence. On 2 September 2020, it was reported that Neymar, along with PSG teammates Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes, tested positive for COVID-19. The French sports newspaper L’Équipe said that the three players reportedly went on vacation in Ibiza. As a result, they were quarantined for one week, and the rest of the players and working staff were scheduled to take a coronavirus test within the same week.

During a match between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille, Neymar reported being racially abused by Álvaro González, after being sent off for hitting González in the back of the head. The Spanish defender denied making any racist comments towards Neymar. 

On 16 September, Neymar was handed a two-match ban for his actions; Ligue 1 also began an investigation into the alleged racist comments made by Álvaro. Several days before the decision made by the French league, Spanish radio station Cadena SER claimed to have footage of Neymar racially abusing OM player Hiroki Sakai. On 30 September, Ligue 1 decided that both Álvaro and Neymar would receive no suspensions as there was insufficient evidence of their wrongdoings. Additionally, Sakai denied any racist comments from Neymar on social media.

Neymar supported Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian general election.

In the summer of 2023, Agence France-Presse, citing local authorities, reported that Neymar faced a potential fine of about $1 million for environmental violations committed during the construction of his Mangaratiba mansion. The unauthorized diversion of the waterway, the use of beach sand without permission, and the unauthorized earthworks were mentioned in the report.

Conclusion

Neymar Jr’s journey from the streets of Brazil to global stardom is a testament to his incredible talent and perseverance. Whether it’s his unforgettable performances or his charismatic persona, Neymar Jr continues to be a symbol of excellence in football.

For fans and football enthusiasts, Neymar Jr is more than just a player—he is a living legend whose story inspires generations.