Neymar facts for kids
![]() Neymar playing for Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 5 February 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.75 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing position | Left winger, attacking midfielder, forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current club | Santos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999–2003 | Portuguesa Santista | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003–2009 | Santos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009–2013 | Santos | 177 | (107) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2013–2017 | Barcelona | 123 | (68) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017–2023 | Paris Saint-Germain | 112 | (82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023–2025 | Al-Hilal | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025– | Santos | 7 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009 | Brazil U17 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | Brazil U20 | 7 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012–2016 | Brazil U23 | 14 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010– | Brazil | 128 | (79) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer. He plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder, or forward. He currently plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A team Santos, where he is the captain. He also plays for the Brazil national team. Neymar is known for scoring many goals and setting up plays for his teammates. Many people think he is one of the best players in the world. He has won the Samba Gold award a record six times.
Contents
Neymar's Early Life
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil. His parents are Neymar Santos Sr. and Nadine da Silva. He grew up in a Christian family. Neymar got his name from his father, who was also a footballer. His father became his advisor as Neymar's football skills grew. Neymar has said, "My father has been by my side since I was little. He takes care of things, my finances and my family."
When he was young, Neymar loved playing both futsal and street football. Futsal is a version of football played indoors on a hard court. Neymar said that futsal really helped him. It taught him how to control the ball, think fast, and make quick moves in small spaces.
In 2003, Neymar and his family moved to São Vicente. He started playing for a youth team called Portuguesa Santista. Later that year, they moved to Santos. There, Neymar joined the famous Santos youth academy. Because of his success and the money he earned, his family bought their first house. It was right next to Vila Belmiro, Santos' home stadium. This greatly improved their family life. When he was 17, he signed his first professional contract. He joined the Santos first team and started getting his first sponsorship deals.
Neymar's Football Career
Playing for Clubs
Neymar started his professional career at age 17. He became very famous while playing for Santos. He helped Santos win two Campeonato Paulista championships in a row. He also won a Copa do Brasil and the 2011 Copa Libertadores. This was Santos' first Copa Libertadores win since 1963.
Neymar was named the South American Footballer of the Year twice. He won in 2011 and 2012. Soon after, he moved to Europe to play for Barcelona in Spain. At Barcelona, he was part of an amazing attacking trio. This group included Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, and they were called MSN. Together, they won the continental treble in 2015. This means they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League all in one season. They also won a domestic double in the 2015–16 season.
Neymar wanted to be the main star of a club. So, in 2017, he moved to PSG in France. This transfer cost €222 million, making him the most expensive player ever. In France, he won four league titles and other awards. He was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year in his first season. He also helped PSG win four trophies in one season in 2019–20. He led the club to its first ever Champions League Final.
In the 2020-21 season, Neymar became the highest-scoring Brazilian player in Champions League history. Injuries affected his playing time at PSG. In 2023, after six seasons, he signed a big deal to play for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
On January 30, 2025, Neymar announced he would sign a contract with his first club, Santos. Santos confirmed his return the next day. Neymar played his first game back for Santos on February 6, 2025. He came on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first goal after returning ten days later from a penalty kick. He also helped set up another goal and was named Man of the Match. On February 23, 2025, Neymar scored directly from a corner kick and earned another Man of the Match award.
Playing for Brazil
Neymar has scored 75 goals in 121 matches for Brazil since he started playing for them at age 18. This makes him the second highest goalscorer for his country, only behind Pelé.
As a young player for Brazil, he was key to winning the 2011 South American Youth Championship. He was the top goalscorer in that tournament. He also won a silver medal in men's football at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The next year, he won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He also won the Golden Ball award for being the best player. He played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa América. However, injuries and a suspension cut his time short in those tournaments.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he was the captain of the Brazil team. He led them to their first ever Olympic gold medal in men's football. After giving up the captaincy, he played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He missed the 2019 Copa América due to injury. But he helped Brazil finish as runner-up in the 2021 tournament.
Neymar's Player Style
Comparisons to Other Players
People in the media often compare Neymar to the Brazilian football legend, Pelé. This is because Neymar has similar skills. Also, like Pelé, he came from the Santos Youth Academy and impressed everyone with his talent. Neymar has said that Pelé is his "role model." But he also said, "I don't like to make a comparison with Pelé." He has also been compared to another Brazilian star, Ronaldinho.
Neymar's growing fame led many to compare him to Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. Neymar has commented on this, 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."
Neymar's Personal Life

Neymar has a son named Davi Lucca. He was born on August 13, 2011. His mother is Neymar's former girlfriend, Carolina Dantas.
Interesting Facts About Neymar
- When he was 15, Neymar was earning 10,000 reais per month. At 16, he earned 125,000 reais per month.
- He has a very close sibling relationship with his sister, Rafaella Beckran. He has a tattoo of her face on his arm. Rafaella has a tattoo of her brother's eyes on her arm.
- Neymar is a Christian, and he follows the Pentecostal branch of the religion.
- Besides his native Portuguese, Neymar also speaks Spanish.
- In 2019, Forbes magazine said Neymar was the world's third highest-paid athlete. He earned $105 million that year, after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Neymar was on the cover of Time magazine in February 2013. He was the first Brazilian athlete to do so.
- In April 2013, Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa created a Monica's Gang comic book. It featured a younger version of Neymar, called Neymar Jr., as the main character.
Charity Work
Neymar reportedly gives 10% of his income to his church. Each year, Neymar organizes a charity football match. He does this with fellow Brazilian footballer Nenê in Nenê's hometown of Jundiaí. The goal is to collect food for families in need.
Neymar's Quotes
- "I just want to be better every day, to get better every day, not to be better than anyone else."
- "I always do as my heart tells me."
- "When we lose, we don't have to change everything but correct things by working hard."
- "I am not the type of person who lets the pressure get to him. I try to see it as my friend. I align with it to calm me down."
Outside Football
Sponsorship Deals
Neymar has signed many sponsorship deals. His fame started growing when he was 17.
- In March 2011, he signed an 11-year contract with the American sportswear company Nike. This deal ended in August 2020. Also in March 2011, Panasonic paid US$2.4 million for Neymar's services for two years.
- Neymar has also signed with the German sportswear company Puma.
- He has other sponsorships from companies like Volkswagen, Tenys Pé Baruel, Lupo, Ambev, Claro, Unilever, and Santander.
Media Appearances
Neymar was on the front covers of the video games Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 in North America. He joined Cristiano Ronaldo as a featured cover athlete. Neymar also appears in EA Sports' FIFA video game series. The trailer for FIFA 18 showed him in his PSG home jersey. He appeared with Cristiano Ronaldo on the Champions and Ultimate Edition packs for FIFA 19. Neymar's "Hang Loose" goal celebration is also in the game.
In May 2013, SportsPro magazine named Neymar the most marketable athlete on the planet for the second year in a row. He was ahead of Lionel Messi, Rory McIlroy, Usain Bolt, and Cristiano Ronaldo. This list looks at money value, age, influence in local markets, charm, and future market potential.
In March 2015, Neymar had the fourth highest social media rank among sportspeople worldwide. He was behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and David Beckham. He had 52 million Facebook fans. He has over 150 million Instagram followers. This is the third highest for a sportsperson (after Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi). He is also in the top 10 most followed people overall. In ESPN's 2016 list of active sportspeople, Neymar was ranked the fourth most famous athlete. In April 2017, Neymar was on the Time 100 list. This is Time magazine's list of the most influential people in the world. In 2019, ESPN again ranked him the world's fourth most famous athlete.
To celebrate the 2014 FIFA World Cup starting in Brazil, Neymar appeared with supermodel Gisele Bündchen on the cover of Vogue's Brazilian edition in June 2014. In November 2014, Neymar was part of FIFA's "11 against Ebola" campaign. He joined other top football players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba. The campaign's slogan was "Together, we can beat Ebola." It aimed to raise awareness about the disease.
In 2019, Neymar appeared in The Making Of series with DAZN. These documentaries look back at important games that defined great football players. Neymar talked about his performance for Santos against Flamengo in 2011. He scored the FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year in that game. He also appeared in the film Neymar and the Line of King. This film covers Neymar's journey to becoming one of Brazil's top players.
More recently, he signed a deal with Facebook Gaming. He was also the subject of a 2022 Netflix documentary series called Neymar: The Perfect Chaos.
Music and Entertainment
Neymar has become a symbol for promoting modern Brazilian pop music, especially Música sertaneja. A video of Neymar dancing in the Santos locker room with his teammates went viral. He was dancing to Michel Teló's hit song "Ai se eu te pego!". He started doing this dance after scoring goals in games. He even appeared live with Teló at one of his concerts. He also supported sertanejo singer Gusttavo Lima. Neymar performed live with Lima on his songs "Balada" and "Fazer Beber".
In 2012, he made small appearances in the music video for another sertanejo hit. This was "Eu Quero Tchu, Eu Quero Tcha" by João Lucas & Marcelo. In 2013, Neymar appeared in a rap music video, "País do Futebol" by MC Guimê.
Television and Films
Year | Title | Role | Note(s) | Type |
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2012 | (fdp) | Plumber | — | TV series (TV) |
2017 | Os Parças | Himself | — | Full-length film (FL) |
2017 | XXX: Return of Xander Cage | Himself | — | FL |
2019 | Money Heist | Monk Joao | — | TV |
2019 | The Making of | Himself | DAZN presents | TV |
2021 | Neymar Jr. and the line of kings | Himself | DAZN presents | TV |
2022 | Neymar: The Perfect Chaos | Himself | Netflix | Docuseries |
Career Statistics
Club Performance
Club | Season | League | State league | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Santos | 2009 | Série A | 33 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 48 | 14 | |||
2010 | Série A | 31 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 11 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 60 | 42 | |||
2011 | Série A | 21 | 13 | 11 | 4 | — | — | 13 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 24 | |||
2012 | Série A | 17 | 14 | 16 | 20 | — | — | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 43 | |||
2013 | Série A | 1 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 23 | 13 | ||||
Total | 102 | 54 | 75 | 53 | 15 | 13 | — | 27 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 225 | 136 | |||
Barcelona | 2013–14 | La Liga | 26 | 9 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 15 | ||
2014–15 | La Liga | 33 | 22 | — | 6 | 7 | — | 12 | 10 | — | 51 | 39 | ||||
2015–16 | La Liga | 34 | 24 | — | 5 | 4 | — | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 31 | |||
2016–17 | La Liga | 30 | 13 | — | 6 | 3 | — | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 20 | |||
Total | 123 | 68 | — | 20 | 15 | — | 40 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 186 | 105 | ||||
Paris Saint-Germain | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 19 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | — | 30 | 28 | ||
2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 15 | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 23 | ||
2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 15 | 13 | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 3 | — | 27 | 19 | |||
2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 9 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 17 | |||
2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 13 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 13 | |||
2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 13 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 18 | |||
Total | 112 | 82 | — | 11 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 41 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 173 | 118 | |||
Al-Hilal | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ||
2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
Total | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||||
Santos | 2025 | Série A | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | |||
Career total | 340 | 204 | 83 | 57 | 46 | 36 | 6 | 3 | 111 | 58 | 10 | 6 | 598 | 363 |
International Performance
National team | Year | Competitive | Friendly | Total | |||
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Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Brazil | 2010 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
2011 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 7 | |
2012 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 9 | |
2013 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 19 | 10 | |
2014 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 15 | |
2015 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 4 | |
2016 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | |
2017 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 | |
2018 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 7 | |
2019 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
2020 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
2021 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 6 | |
2022 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 7 | |
2023 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
Total | 58 | 33 | 70 | 46 | 128 | 79 |
Neymar's Awards and Honors
Santos
- Copa do Brasil: 2010
- Campeonato Paulista: 2010, 2011, 2012; runner-up: 2009
- Copa Libertadores: 2011
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2012
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2014–15, 2015–16
- Copa del Rey: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
- Supercopa de España: 2013
- UEFA Champions League: 2014–15
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2015
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Coupe de France: 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21; runner-up: 2018–19
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2017–18, 2019–20
- Trophée des Champions: 2018, 2020, 2022
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2019–20
Al-Hilal
- Saudi Pro League: 2023–24
Brazil U20
- South American U-20 Championship: 2011
Brazil Olympic
- Summer Olympics: 2016; runner-up: 2012
Brazil
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2013
- Copa América runner-up: 2021
Individual Awards
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2010, 2011, 2012
- Chuteira de Ouro: 2010, 2011, 2012
- Bola de Prata: 2010, 2011
- Bola de Ouro: 2011
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Player: 2011
- Troféu Mesa Redonda Best Player: 2011, 2012
- World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2011
- Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player: 2011
- FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2011
- South American Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2012
- FIFA Puskás Award: 2011
- Bola de Ouro Hors Concours: 2012
- FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2013
- FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe: 2013
- FIFA Confederations Cup Dream Team: 2013
- FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 2014
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014
- Samba Gold: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21
- La Liga Best World Player: 2014–15
- La Liga Player of the Month: November 2015
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2017–18
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: January 2020, August 2022
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2015, 2020
- FIFA FIFPRO World 11: 2015, 2017
- IFFHS Men's World Team: 2017
- ESM Team of the Year: 2017–18
- IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
- Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2021
Performance Awards
- Copa do Brasil top scorer: 2010
- South American U-20 Championship top scorer: 2011
- Campeonato Paulista top scorer: 2012
- Copa Libertadores top scorer: 2012 (tied with Matías Alustiza)
- Copa Libertadores 2nd top assist provider: 2012
- Copa del Rey top scorer: 2014–15
- UEFA Champions League top scorer: 2014–15 (tied with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi)
- FIFA Club World Cup top assist provider: 2015
- UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2015–16, 2016–17
Images for kids
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Neymar training before the 2011 Copa Libertadores final against Peñarol.
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Neymar playing for Barcelona against Villarreal in La Liga, February 1, 2015.
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Neymar (right) with Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi against Marseille during Le Classique, October 2021.
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Neymar at a press conference for the Brazil national team in August 2010. He made his international debut that month at age 18.
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Neymar preparing to take a free-kick against Belarus at Old Trafford during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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Neymar playing against Spain's Gerard Piqué in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final.
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Neymar celebrates scoring against Costa Rica at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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Neymar (right) greets future teammate Lionel Messi after the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final. Neymar was inspired by Messi as a teenager.
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Neymar, playing for Brazil in 2011, has been compared to fellow Brazilians Pelé and Ronaldinho.
See also
In Spanish: Neymar para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
- List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals
- List of most expensive association football transfers