photo source; https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fpsg-news-neymar-approves-massive-al-hilal-transfer-not-final-yet&psig=AOvVaw0pR0WAddNhnMrZhyPmjeF5&ust=1692162263321000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBMQjhxqFwoTCNCR5Ofx3YADFQAAAAAdAAAAABAQ

2024 Updated: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior’s Net Worth, Salary, Biography, Career Stat, & Other Facts

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior who was born on the 5th of February 1992, also known as Neymar Júnior or mononymously as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi Professional League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and playmaker, he is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world as well as one of the greatest Brazilian footballers of all time. Neymar has scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs, making him one of the few players to achieve this feat.Information Guide Nigeria

Neymar came into prominence at Santos, where he made his professional debut aged 17. Soon becoming the Brazilian’s league star player, he won the 2011 Copa Libertadores, being Santos’ first since 1963. He was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012, and relocated to Europe to join Barcelona in 2013. In his second season, 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.Information Guide Nigeria

👉 Relocate to Canada Today!

Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to Canada

Motivated to be the focal player at club level, Neymar unexpectedly transferred to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017 for €222 million, which made him the most expensive player ever. In his debut season, he excelled in French football, winning the league title and being voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year. Despite recurring injuries in Paris, he helped PSG attain an historic domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season, and was integral to PSG reaching its first ever Champions League final, being named in the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time in his career.

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, 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.Information Guide Nigeria

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.Information Guide Nigeria

Club career

Santos

Youth

Neymar 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, Neymar travelled to Spain for try outs with the Real Madrid youth team, at the time when Real had stars like Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Robinho. 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.Information Guide Nigeria

2009: Debut season

Neymar 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, Neymar racked up 14 goals in 48 games.Information Guide Nigeria

2010: Campeonato Paulista success

Neymar continued his ascendancy in 2010, and, on 15 April 2010, 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 Neymar 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 have drawn comparisons to other Brazilians, including Robinho and Pelé.

2011: Puskás Award

Neymar 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 Neymar won Man of the Match honours.JAMB Result

👉 Relocate to Canada Today!

Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to Canada

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 2012 – 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 2012, Neymar 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 victoryJAMB Result

Barcelona

On 24 May 2013, Santos announced that they had received two offers for Neymar. The following day, Neymar announced he would sign with Barcelona on 27 May 2013 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 2013, Neymar was unveiled by Barcelona after passing medical tests and signing a contract that would keep him at the club through June 2018.

Other Top Football News:

Neymar 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.JAMB Result

2014–15: The treble and individual success

On 13 September 2014, after appearing as a substitute, Neymar 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.

Paris Saint-Germain

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.JAMB Result

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.

Al Hilal

On 15 August 2023, Neymar completed a transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal on a two-year contract. The transfer fee was reported to be worth €90 million.

International career

2010–2012: Senior debut and first major tournaments

Following Neymar’s performances for Santos in their successful early 2010 season, including winning the 2010 Copa do Brasil, in which Neymar was the top goalscorer, and the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, in which Neymar scored 14 goals, former Brazilian football players Pelé and Romário reportedly urged coach Dunga to take Neymar to the 2010 World Cup.NYSC Portal

Although the widespread opinion that Neymar deserved a place in Dunga’s squad went as far as a 14,000 signature petition, and despite the huge pressure on Dunga to pick Neymar, he was omitted from both the squad of 23, and the stand-by list. Although Dunga described Neymar as “extremely talented”, he said that he had not been tested sufficiently on the international level to earn a World Cup spot and he had failed to impress enough while on international duty.

2013–2014: Confederations Cup triumph and World Cup breakthorugh

Neymar playing against Spain’s Gerard Piqué in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final
Neymar was selected as part of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Brazil squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup on home soil. For the tournament he was assigned the number 10 shirt, having previously worn 11.

Neymar scored the first goal of the tournament in a 3–0 win over Japan at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha on 15 June. In their second match, Neymar scored after nine minutes and crossed for Jô’s late goal to give Brazil a 2–0 win over MexicoNYSC Portal

2015–2016: Assuming the captaincy and Olympic gold

With captain Thiago Silva ruled out through injury, new coach Dunga decided to make Neymar captain and confirmed on 5 September that the forward would stay on as skipper on a permanent basis. On 14 October 2014, Neymar scored four goals in one game for the first time in his international career, scoring all of Brazil’s goals in 4–0 friendly win against Japan at the National Stadium, Singapore.

At the age of just 22 years, Neymar had scored 40 goals in 58 internationals, and had become the fifth highest goalscorer for his national team. On 26 March 2015, Neymar scored Brazil’s second goal in a 3–1 friendly win over France in Paris.

2018: World Cup

In May 2018, Neymar was named in Tite’s final 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On 3 June 2018, he made his international comeback after a three-month absence from a foot injury and scored a goal in a 2–0 win over Croatia in a friendly match at Anfield. The following week, he became Brazil’s joint-third highest goalscorer alongside Romário when he scored his 55th international goal in a 3–0 friendly win over Austria.

In Brazil’s second World Cup match, played against Costa Rica at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, on 22 June, Neymar scored the team’s second goal in injury time as Brazil won 2–0. The goal, his 56th for Brazil, took him third in the all-time scoring chart behind only Pelé and Ronaldo.NYSC Portal

2019–present: Copa América runner-up and all-time Brazil top scorer

In May 2019, Neymar was included in Brazil’s 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América on home soil. On 5 June, however, he suffered an ankle injury in a 2–0 friendly win over Qatar and was ruled out of the tournament, with Neymar expected to miss four weeks due to the injury.

On 10 October 2019, Neymar played his 100th match for Brazil in a friendly draw 1–1 with Senegal in Singapore. On 13 October 2020, he scored a hat-trick in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Peru, which Brazil won 4–2. He reached his 64th international goal and surpassed Ronaldo as the nation’s second highest goalscorer of all time.