Neymar
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Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [nejˈmaʁ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈsɐ̃tuz ˈʒuni.oʁ] ; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Santos, which he captains, and the Brazil national team. Widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and often praised as one of the most talented players ever, he is known for his flair, dribbling, playmaking, and finishing. He is Brazil's all-time top goalscorer.
Neymar made his professional debut with Santos in 2009. In 2011, he was awarded the league's Best Player and won the FIFA Puskás Award for a solo effort in the league. In the same year, he helped Santos win their first Copa Libertadores in nearly 50 years. In 2013, he joined Barcelona and became part of an attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, dubbed MSN. Winning the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League in the trio's first season, Neymar was the joint-top goalscorer of the Champions League campaign and top goalscorer of the Copa del Rey. In his final season, Neymar reached 100 goals for Barcelona and set the record for most assists in a Champions League campaign. During his time at Barcelona, he was named in the FIFA FIFPro World11 twice and made the podium for the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2015 and 2017.
Motivated to be the focal player, Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017 for a transfer worth €222 million, making him the most expensive player ever. Evolving into a complete playmaker, he largely contributed to PSG's continuation of Ligue 1 title dominance, winning five titles. Individually, he was named the Player of the Year in his debut season and was named in the Team of the Year three times. In the Champions League, he was integral to PSG reaching its first final in 2020, being named in the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time in his career. Having scored over 100 goals for PSG, he became only the fourth player ever to have scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs. Continuing injuries caused PSG to sell Neymar in 2023 to Al Hilal for €90 million, joining the Saudi Pro League revolution. He rarely played due to a year-long ACL injury and returned to his boyhood club Santos in January 2025.
At 18, Neymar debuted for Brazil. He is the nation's all-time top goalscorer, with 79 goals in 128 matches, and is widely regarded as the best Brazilian player of his generation. He won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning the Golden Ball. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he was named in the Dream Team. He captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men's football in the 2016 Summer Olympics having already won a silver medal at the 2012 edition. He appeared at the 2018 World Cup, and three years later helped Brazil finish runner-up to Argentina in the 2021 Copa América, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament. In preparation for the 2022 World Cup, Neymar became Brazil's all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification matches, with 12 goals. In the 2022 World Cup, he became the third Brazilian player to score in three World Cups after Pelé and Ronaldo. He has won a record six Samba Gold awards.
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