As one of the most successful football players of today, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. constantly attracts the attention of football fans and betting sites all across the globe.
He was born in 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes municipality of São Paulo, Brazil, and began playing football from a very early age. It wasn’t, however, until 2013, when he joined FC Barcelona, that he became the international sensation he is today. Join us as we go through some of the most interesting facts about Neymar’s life and career.
1. He started playing for Portuguesa Santista when he was seven.
The beginnings of Neymar’s stellar career can be traced back to 1999 when he was only seven. Just a few years later, in 2003, he and his family moved to Santos, where he joined Santos FC. His financial situation rapidly improved, and his family was finally able to buy their first property.
Neymar has mentioned many times that futsal and street game had a great influence on his early life, and helped him develop his technique.
2. Neymar made his professional debut in 2009.
Neymar was 17 when he started his professional career on March 7, 2009. He joined the game for the last thirty minutes in a 2-1 win against Oeste. A week later, he scored his first goal for Santos in a game against Mogi Mirim.
3. He scored his 100th goal on his 20th birthday.
Not many young football players can realistically hope to celebrate their 20th birthday the way Neymar did. On February 5, 2012, Santos faced Palmeiras, and although his team lost that match, Neymar showed everyone he is one of the most promising young players with a lot to offer.
4. Neymar’s parents got €40 million from his transfer to FC Barcelona in 2013.
A breakthrough in Neymar’s career happened on May 24, 2013, when Santos announced they had received two offers for the 21-year-old star. The following day, Neymar confirmed he would be joining Barcelona on May 27, and the club presented him to 56,500 fans on June 3.
At first, Barcelona claimed that Neymar’s transfer fee was €57.1 million. The transfer prompted an investigation by the prosecutor’s office in Madrid, which eventually revealed that the transfer cost €86.2 million, from which Neymar’s parents received €40 million. Barcelona was subsequently charged with tax fraud.
5. In less than four seasons, Neymar scored 100 goals for Barcelona.
It appears that Neymar’s transfer was well worth both the cost and the legal troubles – during his 77th appearance with Barcelona in April 2017, he scored his 100th goal for the club and thus contributed to the 4-1 win over Granada. His yearly salary in Barcelona was €12.7, and he signed a five-year contract obliging him to stay with the club until June 2018, but as we all know, that’s not what happened in the end.
6. Neymar’s €222-million-worth transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was the most expensive transfer of a player in the history of football.
Although he was supposed to stay with Barcelona until June 2018, Neymar’s legal representatives paid €222 million to end his contract with the club in August 2017. On August 3, Barcelona confirmed the release clause had been paid and that the Brazilian would leave to join Paris Saint-Germain.
This was and still is the most expensive football transfer in the history of the game, and there’s still a lot of controversy around it.
7. Barcelona filed – and won – a lawsuit against Neymar, forcing him to pay €6.7 million to his former club.
On August 27, 2017, Barcelona filed a lawsuit against Neymar, requesting him to return his contract-renewal bonus, €8.5 million in damages, and an additional 10% for the delayed payments.
Neymar countered by saying that Barcelona owed him €43 million as a part of a signing bonus he had never received. In June last year, the Spanish court rejected Neymar’s suit and ruled in favour of Barcelona, meaning the player would have to pay €6.7 million to his former club.
8. Neymar is one of the most valuable football players in 2021.
According to Statista, Kylian Mbappé is the most valuable player in the world, with a market value estimated at €189 million. Neymar comes in sixth with an estimated value of €116 million.
