Neymar is one of the 26 players called up by coach Tite to compete in the World Cup in Qatar. This is the third time he represents Brazil in the competition. On Instagram, he revealed that he felt “butterflies in his stomach” with the call:
“Impossible to explain the feeling of being called up for a World Cup! My 3rd, but the butterflies in my stomach are huge. So happy to represent Brazil once again! They gave us a mission and we go in search.”
Athlete of Paris Saint-Germain, from France, he is considered the main striker of the Brazilian National Team and one of the highest paid players in the world. He even ranked among the best players on the planet!
Home on the lawns
The star is the son of Neymar da Silva Santos (from whom he inherited the name) and Nadine Santos. He was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, on February 5, 1992. He started playing futsal in 1998, at Portuguesa Santista. At the age of 11, he reached Santos’ youth ranks.
passage through Santos
In 2009, Neymar debuted in Santos’ professional team during the Campeonato Paulista. Even the playmaker was considered player revelation. The highlight in the team was so much that, in 2012, he was elected one of the greatest scorers in the history of the club after the “It was Pele”, with 138 goals.
With Santos, Neymar won several titles:
- Paulistão (2010, 2011 and 2012)
- Brazil Cup (2010)
- Liberators (2011)
- South American Recopa (2012)
Achievements for Barcelona
Neymar was signed by Barcelona in 2013. It was the second most expensive signing in the Club’s history. Furthermore, in the presentation of Brazilian ace56 thousand people came to the Catalan Camp Nou stadium to see it.
During four years on the team, the athlete played 185 games, scored 106 goals and contributed 59 assists. In addition, with the great performance, the player was the top scorer in the Champions League and placed 3rd in the Ballon d’Or.
With Barça, he won the following titles:
- Champions League (2014/15)
- Club World Cup (2015)
- Spanish Championship (2014/15 and 2015/16)
- Cup do Rei (2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17)
- Spanish Super Cup (2013)
Go to Paris Saint-Germain
In 2017, Neymar started a new phase for the French team Paris Saint-Germain. The striker was officially presented at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, just 2 days after Barcelona’s departure announcement. To have the Brazilian, the French team paid a sum of 222 million euros in a termination fine and made him the most expensive football player in history.
With Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar scored 77 goals and provided 44 assists during the 100 games he played. With the team, he won the following titles:
- French Championship (2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2021/22)
- French Cup (2017/18, 2019/20 and 2020/21)
- French Super Cup (2018 and 2020)
- French League Cup (2017/18 and 2019/20)
Performance for the Brazilian National Team
The first call for Selection Brasileira was in 2010, under the command of coach Mano Menezes. The first game he participated in was a friendly against the United States, in which he scored a goal. However, he was left out of the squad for the World Cup in Africa.
Neymar’s first official competition took place only the following year, in 2011, for the Copa América. In 2013, he contributed to the Confederations Cup title and was considered the best athlete in the championship.
In 2014, in world Cup based in Brazil, the star scored 4 goals. However, in the game against Colombia, he was hit with a knee in the back, suffered a fracture in a lumbar vertebra and was out of the championship.
Gold at the Olympics
At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Neymar, captain of Selection in the competition, he took the last penalty and secured the unprecedented gold medal for Brazil. The victory against Germany took place at Maracanã.
Source: Maxima
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