Neymar

Lore & Background

Neymar made his professional debut with Santos in 2009 and soon emerged as a teenage sensation. In 2011, he led Santos to the Copa Libertadores title and was named the tournament's best player.

After attracting interest from Europe's top clubs, Neymar joined Barcelona in 2013, where he was part of the MSN attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. He finished as joint top scorer in the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey as Barcelona completed the continental treble in 2014–15. At age 23, he was viewed as one of the world's three best players, alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After four seasons, Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 in a world-record €222 million transfer. Despite becoming injury-prone, he remained PSG's talisman and was vital to Ligue 1 title wins in 2017–18, 2019–20 and 2022–23, but failed to win the Champions League. As one of the club's all-time top goalscorers, he is one of the few players to have scored over 100 goals with three clubs. In 2023, he joined Saudi club Al-Hilal before returning to Santos in January 2025.

Neymar was capped 130 times for the Brazil national team, the second-most for the country. He appeared in four consecutive FIFA World Cups from 2014 to 2026, scoring nine goals in 15 matches.

His international honours include the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball, an Olympic gold medal in 2016, and a silver medal in 2012. He jointly received the Golden Ball at the 2021 Copa América. He retired from international football in 2026.

Reader's Guide

Neymar's significance lies in his sustained excellence as a goalscorer and playmaker across multiple top clubs and the Brazil national team. He was the best player in Europe for three consecutive seasons from 2016–17 to 2018–19 according to Opta Sports, and ranked second in 2015–16 and 2019–20; CIES ranked him second in 2020–21.

His world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 reshaped the football transfer market. As the all-time top goalscorer (80) and assist provider (59) for Brazil, he led the nation to an Olympic gold medal in 2016 and a Copa América final in 2021. His legacy includes being one of the few players to score over 100 goals with three clubs, and his influence extended beyond the pitch as one of the world's most marketable athletes, appearing regularly on Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes and in the Time 100 Most Influential People list in 2017.