Neymar

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior was born on 5 February 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil. He developed at Santos FC, the club most closely associated with Pele, and made his senior debut there in March 2009, aged 17. At Santos, Neymar helped win the Copa do Brasil in 2010 and the Copa Libertadores in 2011, the club's first South American championship since 1963. His daring solo goal against Flamengo in 2011 won FIFA's Puskas Award. He also received the South American Footballer of the Year award in 2011 and 2012, confirming his stature before he left Brazil for Europe in 2013. In June 2013, Neymar joined FC Barcelona after the Confederations Cup, in which Brazil beat Spain 3-0 in the final and he was named player of the tournament. His Barcelona partnership with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez became known as MSN. During the 2014-15 season, Barcelona won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Neymar scored in the 3-1 Champions League final victory over Juventus in Berlin. On 8 March 2017, he scored twice and created Sergi Roberto's decisive goal as Barcelona overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain, winning 6-1 in an extraordinary comeback. Paris Saint-Germain signed Neymar in August 2017 after activating his EUR 222 million release clause, a fee that made him the most expensive footballer in history. He won multiple domestic titles with PSG, including five Ligue 1 championships, and reached the Champions League final in 2020; Bayern Munich won that match 1-0. In 2021, Neymar extended his PSG contract through 2025, though he left two years later. He joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in August 2023. In October, he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee while playing for Brazil against Uruguay away in Montevideo. For Brazil, Neymar debuted in 2010. He helped the national team win the 2013 Confederations Cup and captained it to its first men's Olympic football gold medal at Rio 2016, scoring the winning penalty against Germany in the final shootout. At the 2014 World Cup, he scored four goals before a back injury sustained in the quarter-final against Colombia ended his tournament. In September 2023, his two goals against Bolivia took him past Pele's 77-goal mark, making him Brazil's leading scorer in men's international football. In January 2025, he returned to Santos, reconnecting with the club that launched his career.