Neymar, also known as Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, is a football genius from Brazil. In 2013, he signed a deal with Barcelona worth nearly $100 million. But in 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain for an unbelievable $263 million, breaking all previous records. Therefore, here are ten fascinating details about Neymar:
Interesting Facts About the Brazilian Superstar Neymar:
1. Neymar has only played for Santos before moving to Barcelona
Before joining Barcelona, Neymar only played for Santos. Although he has been demonstrating his abilities at Santos for a number of years, not many people are aware that Santos is the only team he has ever played for. When he was just 11 years old, he enrolled in the Santos Academy, where he honed his skills.
This may help to explain why everyone was so emotional during Neymar’s final game for the Brazilian club.
2. Neymar scored his 100th goal in a professional game on his 20th birthday
On February 5, 2012, Neymar scored his 100th goal in a professional game against Palmeiras in a manner that was typical of Neymar. His goal was scored at an incredible moment. Few football players can brag about scoring on their birthday, much less accomplishing such a feat.
Neymar’s ability to accomplish all of this at just 20 years old is even more impressive. It’s important to keep an eye on his career!
3. Neymar nearly joined Real Madrid when he was 14 years old
When Neymar was 14 years old, he almost joined Real Madrid. Real Madrid’s interest in acquiring Neymar has become well-known recently, but the deal fell through in the summer of 2011. Neymar, on the other hand, could have joined the Spanish team when he was only 14 years old.
Even though he flew to Spain and had passed all the tests, Santos paid a hefty sum to keep him in Brazil before the transfer could take place.
4. The first team to make an offer for Neymar was West Ham
If things had gone according to plan a few years ago, Neymar could have played for West Ham. In point of fact, West Ham is the first club that made a bid of £12 million for the Brazilian player, which was rejected right away.
Neymar made his international debut, however, thanks to Chelsea’s interest in the player before other teams began to pursue his acquisition.
5. Neymar could have played in the 2010 World Cup
Despite his talent, Neymar was not selected by Dunga to be a member of the national team that flew to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, despite the fact that Pelé and Romário pushed for his inclusion.
A petition for his inclusion was also signed by 14,000 fans, but it wasn’t very successful either because his name wasn’t even on the roster or the standby list. But his time would soon come.
In a friendly match against the United States in August 2010, he got his chance under Mano Menezes, the new manager. Neymar scored in his Brazil debut, seizing the opportunity with both hands.
6. Neymar had a child when he was just 19 years old
Neymar was better at one thing than Lionel Messi was: David Lucca was born to the Brazilian when he was just 19 years old. To “protect her and the child,” Neymar withheld the identity of the mother from the public eye.
This suspense is unquestionably one of Neymar’s most intriguing facts.
7. Neymar is Barcelona’s ninth-most and PSG’s most-expensive purchase
There are a lot of rumors and stories about Neymar’s transfer to Barcelona, followed by PSG, which is the most expensive purchase made by either Barcelona or PSG. Neymar’s purchase price alone suffices to rank among the interesting facts about him.
In 2013, Barcelona acquired him from Santos for nearly $100 million. In addition, he was acquired by Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a staggering $263 million.
He did, however, arrive in Barcelona at a relatively low cost at the time. This could indicate that Barcelona has been on a costly shopping spree for the past few decades, or it could indicate that the club was able to negotiate an incredible deal for Neymar.
8. Neymar is the only athlete from Brazil to appear on the cover of TIME magazine
Despite the fact that Brazil is a nation that is well-known for its sports legends, Neymar is the only athlete from Brazil to appear on the cover of TIME magazine. In point of fact, politicians are the only other Brazilians featured on the TIME cover.
This is truly remarkable and one of Neymar’s most fascinating facts.
9. Neymar is extremely young and wealthy
Norman Whiteside was the youngest player to ever compete in a World Cup when he was 17 years old in 1982. However, even then, it is highly unlikely that Whiteside would have made the same amount of money as Neymar. Neymar signed a five-year contract worth $74 million when he moved to Barcelona.
He was ranked the seventh richest football player in the world in 2012, and Forbes ranks him, the third highest-paid athlete, under 25 worldwide. After that, he went from strength to strength, and according to the Forbes list for 2018, he is the third-highest-paid soccer player in the world. One of Neymar’s most fascinating facts is that he accomplished that feat at just 26 years old.
10. Neymar is a marketing machine
SportsPro Magazine named him the most marketable athlete in the world in 2012 and 2013. He did that while defeating Usain Bolt, Rory McIlroy, Messi, Ronaldo, and others. Neymar trumps Messi as the greatest football player of all time in this regard. Then, this demonstrates how great Neymar is in comparison to all of the other sports stars in the world.
In fact, he is so good at selling products that some people have called Neymar’s constant appearances in advertisements, magazines, and television shows “Neymarketing.” He has sold more than a dozen products and does not differentiate between them.