Neymar Júnior
Brazil
5 February 1992
midfielder
Neymar Júnior , simply known as Neymar or Neymar Júnior (shortened to Neymar Jr), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Santos, which he captains, and the Brazil national team. Known for his dribbling, technical ability, playmaking, and finishing, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He is one of only five players to have scored 100 goals with three different clubs, both the all-time Brazilian top goalscorer (43) and assist provider (33) in the UEFA Champions League, ranks second for the all-time South American men's top goalscorers in international football (79), and is the all-time top assist provider in international football (59). He has scored over 400 senior career goals and registered over 250 senior career assists for club and country.
Neymar made his professional debut with Santos in 2009 and won the Copa Libertadores in 2011, scoring in the finals. In 2013, Barcelona signed him and he soon became part of a dominant attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez—known as MSN. In 2014–15, Neymar won the treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League, finishing as the top goalscorer of both that season's Champions League and the Copa del Rey. In the following season, he helped Barcelona win the double. In 2017, he left the club to join Paris Saint-Germain, becoming the most expensive player in history after his €222 million release clause was activated. Neymar won five Ligue 1 titles, including two as part of a domestic treble. In 2020, he led PSG to their first-ever Champions League final. Despite injuries causing limited game time with PSG, he became one of their all-time top goalscorers. He joined Saudi club Al-Hilal in 2023 before returning to Santos in January 2025.
At 18, Neymar debuted for Brazil and has since become the nation's second-most-capped player, only trailing Cafu. He is the nation's all-time top goalscorer, with 79 goals in 128 matches. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in men's football, Neymar helped Brazil reach the final, ultimately receiving the Olympic silver medal. In the following year, he won the FIFA Confederations Cup and received the Golden Ball. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he was named in the Dream Team and received the Bronze Boot. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men's football. In the 2021 Copa América, he led Brazil to a runners-up finish and was jointly awarded Best Player. Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, he became Brazil's all-time top scorer in World Cup qualification, with 12 goals.
Neymar finished third for the Ballon d'Or, only behind Messi and Ronaldo, in 2015 and 2017, also finishing third for the FIFA The Best Men's Player in 2017 behind the two. He was named in both the FIFA FIFPro World11 and the UEFA Team of the Year twice. He has received the FIFA Puskás Award, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Player, the La Liga Best American Player, the Ligue 1 Player of the Year, and the Copa Libertadores Best Player. Internationally, he received the South American Footballer of the Year twice and was runner-up for the IFFHS's CONMEBOL The Best Man Player of the Decade (2011–2020) award.
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