The most expensive player in football’s history – Neymar
Although the game of football arose in England, nowadays Brazil is the country, which is widely considered as the sport’s homeland. Being the only state that won 5 World Cups, Brazil has given the world many exceptional football moments and of course, players. Yet another example for that is Neymar da Silva Santos Junior – the most expensive football player in the world history, often compared with the Brazilian football legend Pele for possessing similar skills. Neymar was born on 5 February 1992 in Mogi Das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, and like most of the children in Brazil, his first contact with football was at a very young age through playing street football. In 2003, he was spotted by Santos FC and was included in the team’s youth academy. Although Neymar went through some trials for Real Madrid’s youth team when he was 14, and according to sources, he was accepted straight away, he stayed with Santos FC. Allegedly, to make that possible, the then president of Santos FC Marcelo Teixeira, offered Neymar‘s father €1 million in case that the young talent stayed at the club until he turned professional. Neymar made his professional debut with Santos FC when he was 17 and continued his ascendancy to become South America’s best football player for the time until 2013.
As each great football player, Neymar was destined to step on Europe’s football pitch and his moment came in June 2013, when the Spanish giant Barcelona presented him at the Camp Nou in front of the whopping 56,500 fans. Barcelona’s vice-president at the time Josep Bartomeu revealed that Neymar’s transfer fee was €57.1 million and his release clause was set at €190 million. As part of Barcelona’s attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar helped the team to win the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. In August 2017, Neymar joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain in a move worth €222 million, making him the most expensive player ever. His contract will run until 2022. Additionally, after debuting at the age of 18, Neymar became the third-highest goalscorer for Brazil’s national team, trailing only Pele and Ronaldo.
Often seen as the footballer who is the heir to the throne of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Neymar is a real phenomenon with incredible dribbling skills, tricks, playmaking ability, and energetic pace. His individual honours and achievements include the 2013 Golden Ball, several Samba Gold awards, and La Liga’s World Player prize. Neymar also has been repeatedly recognised as the top scorer and the top assist provider in the tournaments in which he participated. Thanks to his outstanding talent and unique style of playing, the Brazilian player gained the appreciation of many football players with David Beckham describing him as “a once-in-a-generation type of footballer”, while Ronaldinho defined Neymar as his successor. Neymar’s father, who is rumoured to have a hugely influential role in the footballer’s life stated that his son would inspire the next generation of young boys in a similar manner to Brazillian legends Pele, Zico, Romario, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo Nazario.
Bettingmetrics.com collected three interesting facts, which show what makes Neymar so outstanding, both in football and in life.
- Neymar is a true entrepreneur. Throughout the years, various brands booked Neymar for their marketing campaigns both on traditional and digital media, mainly for his great looks. SportsPro magazine even listed him as the most marketable athlete who surpassed the likes of notable sportspeople such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Usain Bolt. Additionally, the Brazilian superstar has over two dozen sponsorship deals and is the ambassador of some of the most popular brands on a global scale, including Nike, Gillette, Red Bull, and McDonald’s. Neymar even created his personal brand logo – NJR. According to many experts, the fact that Neymar is such a marketing mogul was the main reason that convinced PSG to invest so much money in his transfer. That’s not all, the footballer even starred in movies and TV series.
- Despite the fact that he became the most expensive football player in history, according to many sources, Neymar remained firmly attached to Barcelona and actually wants to return to Camp Nou. Undisputedly, the Brazilian player showed his best performance throughout his career in Barcelona from 2013 to 2017, totalling 105 goals in 186 games. And don’t get us wrong, Neymar still has excellent skills and did not lose even 1% of his potential, he probably can’t be motivated enough by the fact that PSG plays in France Ligue 1, which is not as competitive as La Liga. Furthermore, in the Catalan club, Neymar was surrounded by a fantastic team and an excellent coach and was truly loved and supported by the Spanish team’s global fanbase. Last but not least, Neymar managed to build a great relationship with Suarez and Messi, which was created not only because of goals and assists but rather on hours spent in family gatherings.
- Neymar devotes significant amounts of money and a lot of time to charity. In 2014, he launched his own charity institution named Instituto Neymar Jr. (INJR). Described as a non-profit organisation dedicated to social causes and serving thousands of youngsters and their families, INJR aims to support children through education and athletics. Neymar Sports, the Brazilian superstar’s school, donates 1% of its revenue to INJR. Besides supporting initiatives in his home country, Neymar has worked with Humanity & Inclusion, an organisation that provides opportunities for children with intellectual and physical disorders. Most recently, Neymar donated $1 million to fight the spread of COVID-19 in his native Brazil. Local media reported that the PSG forward donated part of the money to the UN Children’s Fund and the rest to a charitable fund launched by a Brazilian TV presenter.
Here is yet another curious thing related to Neymar brought to you by Bettingmetrics.com. The Brazilian football star shares same birthday date with Cristiano Ronaldo. Neymar is seven years younger than Ronaldo, and according to many experts and fans, they both have an otherworldly football talent.