Neymar

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 tryouts with the Real Madrid youth team. 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.

2012–13: Continued individual dominance and final season

The 2012 season was arguably Neymar's finest with Santos. Early in the year, at 19 years old, Neymar finished 10th in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or rankings. This was an unprecedented feat for a non-European club player. On 5 February 2012, when he turned 20, he scored his 100th goal as a professional football player, against Palmeiras in the Campeonato Paulista. On 25 February, 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, Neymar netted a hat-trick as Santos saw off Brazilian rivals Internacional with a 3–1 win in the Copa Libertadores group stage. In the fixture against São Paulo on 29 April, he scored a hat-trick with the match ending 3–1.

In the 2012 Campeonato Paulista finals against Guarani, Neymar scored twice in the first and second legs, which ended 7–2 on aggregate to crown Santos champions. He finished the 2012 Campeonato Paulista with 20 goals and was voted the Best Player and Best Forward. He also finished as joint top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with eight goals, where Santos were eliminated by eventual champions Corinthians in the semi-finals. He was voted the Best Player of the 2012 Recopa Sudamericana, which Santos won.

On 25 August 2012, he scored a brace in the 2–1 away win at Palmeiras. On 3 November, in the league fixture away at Cruzeiro, Neymar scored a hat-trick and assisted Felipe Anderson's goal, to help his side to a 4–0 win. Neymar finished off the 2012 season in style, first setting-up Victor Andrade's equaliser, then scoring twice, to give Santos a 3–1 home win over Palmeiras on 1 December. Neymar finished the 2012 season with 43 goals in just 47 matches. He won the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, retaining his award. Pelé claimed that Neymar is the best player in the world; former Argentine player Diego Maradona responded to this: "Maybe Neymar is the best player in the world, but only if you say that Messi is from a different planet." At this point in his career, Neymar was touted to emulate Messi — or even surpass him.

Neymar started the 2013 Campeonato Paulista scoring twice in the first match, which ended in a 3–1 win over São Bernardo on 19 January 2013. On 3 February, in the Paulista fixture against São Paulo, Santos won 3–1 with Neymar scoring and making two assists. Often compared to Pelé early in his career, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the title 'The Next Pelé' in February 2013. He scored all four goals as Santos beat União Barbarense 4–0 in the Paulista on 13 April. On 25 April, his agent and father revealed that Neymar intended to leave for Europe before the 2014 World Cup. Neymar said the month prior that he had a "dream of playing in Europe, for a big club like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea." Ahead of his last match for Santos, on 26 May against Flamengo in the first round of the 2013 Brazilian Championship, Neymar was in tears during the national anthem, with the match ending in a draw.

In 2021, UOL included Neymar in their ranking of the 'Top 5 Greatest Players in the History of Santos'.

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 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, Neymar was unveiled by Barcelona after passing medical tests and signing a contract that would keep him at the club through June 2018.

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.

2013–14: Settling into Spain

Neymar made his official debut for Barcelona during the opening game of the 2013–14 La Liga season as a 63rd-minute substitute for Alexis Sánchez in a 7–0 win against Levante. On 21 August, he played in the 2013 Supercopa de España against Copa del Rey holders Atlético Madrid; he made an immediate impact, scoring Barcelona's only goal as they won the Supercopa on away goals.

On 18 September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, assisting a Gerard Piqué goal as Barça beat Ajax 4–0 in their opening match of the 2013–14 tournament. Six days later, Neymar scored his first goal in La Liga in Barcelona's 4–1 defeat of Real Sociedad at Camp Nou. On 26 October, in his first El Clásico appearance, he scored the opening goal and assisted the team's winning goal in a 2–1 win over Real Madrid. On 11 December, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over Celtic in the group stage. A few days later, on 14 December, Neymar scored both of Barcelona's goals in their 2–1 win against Villarreal.

15 games into the La Liga season, Neymar had produced a respectable four goals and eight assists, nailing down the left-wing position in the Barcelona team. However, Neymar felt low, expressing in an interview over a decade later: "I spent the first 6 months at Barça with butterflies in my stomach". On 26 March 2014, Neymar scored twice in a 3–0 win against Celta Vigo. On 1 April, he scored in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atlético Madrid to level the match 1–1, though Atlético defeated Barcelona 1–0 in the second leg to eliminate them. On 16 April, Neymar played in the 2014 Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, which Barcelona lost. He featured heavily in his debut season with Barcelona, ending the campaign with 15 goals in 41 appearances. At the end of the year, Eurosport ranked Neymar as the best under-23 player in the world, ahead of the likes of Paul Pogba and Mario Götze.

2014–15: MSN trio and continental treble

The 2014–15 season notably marked the birth of the new attacking trio of Lionel Messi, new signing Luis Suárez and Neymar — dubbed MSN. A sports writer noted that Neymar's understanding with Messi, in comparison to the previous season, was "close to telepathic at times", and the addition of Suárez's "tenacity and hunger" resulted in "possibly the most formidable strike-force in European football".On 13 September, Neymar scored both of Barcelona's goals in their 2–0 win against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. Two weeks later, he scored a hat-trick against Granada in a 6–0 win on 27 September. On 24 January 2015, Neymar scored twice and assisted a goal in a 6–0 win at Elche. He continued to deliver for Barcelona, scoring twice in the Copa del Rey round of 16, twice in the quarter-final and twice in the semi-final to reach the final. After defeating Atlético Madrid 1–0 to secure the league title on 17 May, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–1 at Camp Nou in the 2015 Copa del Rey final on 30 May, with Neymar scoring the club's second goal to tie him as the competition's top goalscorer with 7.

Neymar was vital for Barcelona in the Champions League, scoring six goals in the knock out stages against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Bayern Munich as Barcelona proceeded to the 2015 Champions League final on 6 June. In the final, Neymar scored the third goal for Barcelona in the 3–1 defeat of Italian champions Juventus at Berlin's Olympiastadion, ensuring the club won its fifth Champions League title and become the first club in history to win the treble twice. Neymar became one of the few players to win both the Copa Libertadores and the Champions League, and the first player to score in both quarter-final matches, both semi-final matches and the final of the Champions League.

Neymar ended the season with 39 goals in all competitions, including 10 in the Champions League, making him the joint top scorer with Ronaldo and teammate Messi in the latter competition. He was the first player apart from those two to top the competition's scoring list since compatriot Kaká in 2006–07. Barcelona's attacking trio, MSN, ended the season with a combined 122 goals, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish football history. France Football ranked Neymar as the best under-23 player in the world and included him in their World XI.

2015–17: Ballon d'Or candidate, domestic double and final season

In the 2015–16 season, on 12 September, Neymar scored a near-immediate equaliser against Atlético Madrid in La Liga before Barcelona went on to win the match 2–1. In late September, Messi suffered a serious knee injury in the league, keeping him out for two months. In Messi's absence, Neymar experienced one of the greatest peaks in his career, scoring 13 goals and providing 9 assists in just 8 games. His run included a four goal display in Barcelona's 5–2 home win in the league over Rayo Vallecano; a two goal display in a 3–0 win against BATE Borisov in the Champions League groupstage; two goals in a 3–0 win against Villarreal, including a "stunning" goal where he received the ball from just inside the area and flicked it up over his shoulder and over a defender before volleying it into the goal; two goals in a 4–0 victory against Real Sociedad; and a goal alongside an assist in Barcelona's 4–0 away win against Real Madrid. Villarreal manager Marcelino lauded Neymar as "probably the most in-form attacker in the league, decisive in front of goal and also in their [buildup] play". Neymar was named the La Liga Player of the Month for November, which made him the first Barcelona player to receive the award since it was inaugurated in September 2013. In December, he featured in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, delivering two assists in Barcelona's 3–0 win against River Plate in the final on 20 December.

At 23 years old, Neymar was being praised for elevating to the same level of Messi and Ronaldo, possibly entering the best player in the world debate. He was shortlisted for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or alongside Messi and Ronaldo. Several journalists argued that he deserved to win the award, particularly for his crucial performances in the knockout stages of the 2014–15 Champions League and during Messi's absence during the first half of 2015–16. He came in third place, receiving 7.86 percent of the vote. Both L'Équipe and Sky Sports ranked Neymar as the second-best player in the world of 2015, only behind Messi.

In the quarter-final of the Copa del Rey in January 2016, Neymar scored twice in Barcelona's 5–2 aggregate win over Athletic Bilbao. On 12 March, in a 6–0 win, he scored twice against Getafe in the league. Neymar had another successful La Liga campaign, being directly involved in 40 goals (24 goals and 16 assists) as Barcelona won the title, finishing just one point ahead of Real Madrid. He also won eight penalties for Barcelona, more than any other player in the league. He was included in The Guardian's La Liga Team of the Season. On 22 May, he scored in Barcelona's 2–0 win against Sevilla in the 2016 Copa del Rey final, celebrating a domestic double triumph.

The front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar finished the season with 131 goals, breaking the record they had set the previous year for most goals by an attacking trio in a single season. Despite a dip in form at the end of the season, Neymar ultimately reached over 30 goals for the second consecutive season, scoring 31, as well as 27 assists. For the second consecutive year, Sky Sports ranked him at number two in their 2016 Top 100 Players of the Year list.

On 1 July 2016, Neymar signed a new contract with Barcelona until 2021. His new contract included a €200 million buy-out clause, rising to €222m in the second year of his deal, and €250m thereafter. His future at Barcelona had been in doubt over rumours that the likes of PSG, Real Madrid and Manchester City were considering to make huge offers for him.

On 12 September of the 2016–17 season, Neymar registered a goal and four assists in Barcelona's 7–0 win against Celtic in the group stage of the Champions League. In an away fixture in La Liga against Sporting Gijón on 24 September, he scored twice in a 5–0 win. On 19 January 2017, he scored his club's only goal in a 1–0 win in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Real Sociedad, converting from the penalty spot. Neymar's form drastically dipped, having scored just five goals in La Liga by February. ESPN said that Neymar looked "rusty in front of goal". While tiredness was cited as an explanation, sections of the media instead attributed his decline to the aggressive treatment he received from oppositions, with Mundo Deportivo describing him as "the most hunted player in La Liga".

Neymar was pivotal in Barcelona's 6–1 victory (widely known as La Remontada English translation: The Comeback) over PSG in the Champions League round of 16 on 8 March, overcoming the 4–0 loss in the first leg. It is widely regarded as the greatest comeback in football history. Barcelona were 5–3 down on aggregate in the 88th minute, but scored three goals in the final seven minutes to progress into the quarter-final — Neymar contributed to all three goals, scoring twice and providing an assist in the 95th minute. A sports writer said that Neymar's performance cemented his legacy as the third-best player of his generation, behind Messi and Ronaldo. PSG's midfielder Marco Verratti later said, "If I could sign one player for PSG it would be Neymar [...] He is at the same level as Messi."

On 15 May, Neymar scored his first away hat-trick for Barcelona in a 4–1 victory against Las Palmas, ensuring that Barcelona were still in the La Liga title race, but Real Madrid ultimately won the title on 20 May. On 27 May, he scored his 105th, and final, goal for Barcelona in the 2017 Copa del Rey final, as Barcelona defeated Alavés 3–1. This made him the first player to score in three consecutive Copa del Rey finals since Ferenc Puskás in the 1960s. Despite being less prolific than his previous two seasons, prominent journalist Guillem Balagué credited Neymar for being more of a provider and for maturing his game. In Balagué's view, Neymar was "now second only to Messi as the best player in the world." According to WhoScored, which is powered by Opta Sports data, Neymar was Europe's best-performing player during the season.

By July 2017, media speculation emerged that Neymar wanted to leave Barcelona for PSG, who he had been "close to joining" the previous year according to his agent Wagner Ribeiro. Neymar was driven to join PSG as he wanted a new challenge and to play with several of his Brazil national team teammates who were at the club, including new signing Dani Alves. On 2 August, Neymar asked Barcelona to allow him to leave. Barcelona president, Bartomeu, admitted he was powerless to stop him from wanting to leave. In the short time that Neymar was at Barcelona, he was a "crucial piece" to the club's success in those years, scoring 105 goals and assisting 76 in 186 appearances. Sports Illustrated said that he arguably eclipsed Ronaldo as the second-best player in the world during his final three seasons at Barcelona.

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 situation was unusual, in that the fee was paid to the club directly, after La Liga had refused to receive the payment — citing violation of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules by PSG.

Neymar's unexpected departure from Barcelona and the record-breaking transfer fee made global headlines, with some in the media labelling it as "the signing of the century". He joined PSG on a contract that would run until 2022, earning roughly €36 million a year — one of the largest sports contracts — to make him the second-highest paid player in the world. This was a €12 million increase from his salary at Barcelona.

As the club's main player, Neymar was touted to lead PSG to their first Champions League title. He was given the number 10 shirt by the club's midfielder Javier Pastore as a "welcome gift". The Eiffel Tower celebrated the arrival of Neymar by displaying his name and the red and blue colours of PSG.

The relationship between Neymar and Barcelona fans was tainted following his move to PSG. In his presentation on 17 August, he said that leaving Barcelona was one of the toughest decisions in his life. He joined a growing list of Brazilian players who had signed for PSG in previous years, including Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and David Luiz.

2017–19: PSG's talisman, domestic success and injuries

Neymar made his debut for PSG on 13 August 2017, scoring a goal and assisting another in a 3–0 away victory over Guingamp in the league. Guingamp's defender Lucas Deaux said "I have never seen a player like this before". In the next fixture on 20 August against Toulouse, Neymar contributed with two goals and two assists to help PSG win 6–2. On 30 September, Neymar scored twice in another 6–2 win as PSG defeated Bordeaux. On 22 October, he scored against rivals Marseille in his first Le Classique in a 2–2 result, but was sent off — the first time in his PSG career. On 16 December, Neymar scored twice and assisted twice to help PSG defeat Rennes 4–1. As the talisman at PSG, Neymar had immediately established himself as the club's most influential player, enjoying more freedom than he had at Barcelona.

Wealth and sponsorships

Neymar has signed many sponsorships since his reputation began to grow from the age of 17. In March 2011, he signed an 11-year contract with American sportswear company Nike, which ended in August 2020 after a Nike employee made a sexual assault complaint against him. Since then, Neymar has signed with Puma. He adopted the famous PUMA King boots, previously worn by the likes of Pelé, Maradona, Johan Cruyff, and Eusébio. Neymar's deal with Puma was considered the highest-value individual football boot contract ever, with him earning around €25 million per year, surpassing deals held by the likes of Ronaldo and Messi. In March 2011, Panasonic paid US$2.4 million to secure Neymar's services for two years. In 2012, France Football had ranked Neymar 13th in its list of the world's richest players, with total earnings of $18.8 million for the previous 12 months. He has also signed other sponsorships from Volkswagen, Tenys Pé Baruel, Lupo, Ambev, Claro, Unilever, and Santander.

In 2019, Forbes ranked Neymar the world's third-highest-paid athlete (after Messi and Ronaldo) with earnings of $105 million for the year; he was also ranked fourth in 2020 ($95.5 million) and 2021 ($95 million), seventh in 2024 ($108 million), twelfth in 2023 ($85 million) and 25th in 2025 ($76 million). Sportico named him the fourth highest-paid athlete of 2022 and put him at sixth place in 2021, 2023 and 2024. In 2018, France Football ranked Neymar the third-highest-paid footballer in the world, earning a total income for €81.5m ($95m) for the year.

On 8 May 2013, Neymar was named by SportsPro magazine as the most marketable athlete in the world, ahead of Messi (2nd) and Ronaldo (8th). The same month, Neymar launched the Nike Hypervenom football boot. In November 2012, advertising agency Loducca created Neymar's own personal brand logo, featuring the N, J, and R (Neymar Junior) with the N styled to match Neymar's shirt number 11. Neymar starred in a 2014 advert for Beats alongside other football stars such as Henry and Suárez, with the theme of 'The Game Before The Game' and the players pre-game ritual of listening to music. In 2018, Neymar was highly influential to PSG’s groundbreaking partnership with Air Jordan. In June 2016, he became the first footballer ever to wear Air Jordan-branded boots—a custom Air Jordan V Hypervenom—establishing an early and personal connection with Air Jordan. That relationship set the stage for the 2018 PSG × Air Jordan launch. Neymar himself described Air Jordan as "phenomenal, magic, irreverent," calling it a perfect fit for both Paris and the Champions League.

In the later stages of his career, Neymar has been regularly seen playing high limit poker, including live streamed celebrity games from California's Hustler Casino. In 2025, boxer Conor Benn called out his rival boxer Chris Eubank Jr. at a pre-fight press conference, alleging Eubank Jr. owed Neymar £4 million in poker debts. Around May 2025, a 31 year old anonymous Brazilian billionaire from Porto Alegre left Neymar over $1 billion in his will, saying he had not wanted to give his money to the government or his estranged family. The billionaire had claimed Neymar’s relationship with his father reminded him of his own, who is deceased. He also had stated that he saw Neymar to “not be greedy”. The will was formalized on June 12, 2025.

Legal

In July 2019, police announced that a rape investigation against Neymar would be dropped due to insufficient evidence. On 2 September 2020, it was reported that Neymar, along with PSG teammates Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes, tested positive for COVID-19. The French sports newspaper L'Équipe said that the three players reportedly went on vacation in Ibiza. As a result, they were quarantined for one week, and the rest of the players and working staff were scheduled to take a coronavirus test within the same week.

During a match between PSG and Marseille, Neymar reported being racially abused by Álvaro González, after being sent off for hitting González in the back of the head. The Spanish defender denied making any racist comments towards Neymar. On 16 September, Neymar was handed a two-match ban for his actions; Ligue 1 also began an investigation into the alleged racist comments made by Álvaro. Several days before the decision made by the French league, Spanish radio station Cadena SER claimed to have footage of Neymar racially abusing Marseille player Hiroki Sakai. On 30 September, Ligue 1 decided that both Álvaro and Neymar would receive no suspensions as there was insufficient evidence of their wrongdoings. Additionally, Sakai denied any racist comments from Neymar on social media.

In the summer of 2023, Agence France-Presse, citing local authorities, reported that Neymar faced a potential fine of about $1 million for environmental violations committed during the construction of his Mangaratiba mansion. The process of building his mansion diverted the waterway and used beach sand without permission.

Santos opened an investigation into Neymar after the player allegedly physically assaulted Robinho Júnior by tripping him and giving him a "violent slap to the face" in retaliation for Robinho Júnior dribbling past him during a training session at the CT Rei Pelé on 3 May 2026. Neymar later apologised for the incident, and Robinho Júnior's representatives subsequently gave up on notifying the club.