Neymar’s greatest football achievements

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, simply called Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plies his trade with the Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He was born on February 5, 1992, and is recognized as one of the best on the planet due to his prolific goal-scoring and legendary playmaking abilities. Neymar is one of few players in history with at least 100 goals for three clubs.

This article reviews Neymar’s professional career and most outstanding achievements thus far.

Overview of Neymar’s Early Professional Career

Neymar began his football career on a bright note at a young age. Consequently, he was quickly noticed and signed into the latter’s youth development program in 2003. He quickly rose to popularity after making his professional debut for the club at age 17.

Neymar played for Brazil’s U-17 squad in the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup edition. At 18, he made his maiden international senior appearance on August 10, 2010, against England in a friendly match. He was in the starting lineup and wore jersey number 11. Brazil won the match 2-0, with Neymar scoring the second goal in the 28th minute by converting a cross from Andre Santos.

Despite his young age, he maintained his fine form and, in 2010, scored five goals for Santos in an 8-1 victory over Guarani in the qualification stages of the Brazilian Cup. He helped the team win two consecutive Campeonato Paulista titles, one Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 edition of Copa Libertadores, Santos’ for the first time since 1963.

Neyman’s Rise to Glory

Neymar Jr. signed for FC Barcelona in a reported 57.1 million euro trade in May 2013. The transfer altered Neymar’s career, with the 21-year-old becoming a world-class player. With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar established the famous MSN Trio, which helped the club reach one of its most successful seasons.

Neymar made his La Liga debut for FC Barcelona against Levante in the 2013-14 season. He replaced Alexis Sánchez in the 68th minute as Barcelona won the first match of the season 7-0. He scored the club’s first goal in the opening leg of the Spanish Cup against Atletico Madrid. The game finished in a tie after Neymar equalized at 1-1. Neymar scored his first UEFA Champions League goal against Celtic FC on December 11, scoring a hat trick in a 6-1 victory.

Following a successful international debut, he was listed in Brazil’s Confederations Cup squad in 2013. He scored in three straight games and was named Player of the Match in all three. In the final, he assisted on the first goal and scored the second as Brazil beat Spain 3-0. After the competition, Neymar received the Golden Ball.

After settling in Spain and adapting to Barcelona’s style of play, he scored ten goals in the European Cup and 39 in the Spanish League. He ended the season as UEFA’s joint top scorer alongside his teammate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He also helped the team win the “treble” (domestic cup, domestic league, and international cup) for the second season in 2014-15, becoming the first club in history to accomplish such a feat. 

Neymar had 57 goal contributions in the following season, comprising 27 assists and 31 goals in 49 games. He won the Spanish Champions Trophy for the second time with FC Barcelona, who also won the domestic double. This performance catapulted him into the elite category of footballers, as he was named to the FIFA Ballon d’Or shortlist, finishing third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

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2016 Till Present

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Neymar was named team captain and led his side to victory, scoring Brazil’s sole goal in a 1-1 tie between Brazil and Germany. He scored the game-winning penalty in the shootout, giving Brazil its first Olympic gold medal.

On March 9, 2017, he helped Barcelona stage the most remarkable comeback in football history, rallying from a 4-0 deficit to defeat PSG 6-1 at home. Neymar was the show’s headliner, converting a penalty kick and scoring from a fantastic free kick to tie the game at halftime before assisting Sergi Roberto with the game-winning goal in injury time.

After the 2016-17 season, Neymar made headlines when he transferred from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for $222 million on August 3, 2017, becoming the most expensive player in history until Kylian Mbappe’s €180 million transfer to the same club in 2022.

Since his signing to the club, Neymar has helped PSG win two French League Cups, four French Super Cups, and four Ligue 1 titles.

Neymar’s Individual Achievements

Neymar, through his incredible career journey, has won the following individual accolade:

• World Soccer Young Player of the Year in 2011
• FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball in 2011
• Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player in 2011
• FIFA Puskás Award in 2011
• South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012
• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe in 2013
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball in 2013
• FIFA Confederations Cup Dream Team in 2013
• FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2014
• FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot in 2014
• La Liga Best World Player in the 2014-2015 season
• UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season in 2014-2015, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021
• UEFA Team of the Year in 2015, 2020
• IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade in 2011-2020
• IFFHS Men’s World Team in 2017
• Copa América Team of the Tournament in 2021

Conclusion

Neymar possesses traditional Brazilian player characteristics. As a result of his youth involvement in futsal, he became known for his pace, fluid dribbling abilities, exceptional vision, opportunity creation, and signature feints. Neymar’s most notable achievements so far were during his stay in Barcelona, especially from 2012-2015.

Sources: bbc.co.uk / theguardian.com