Neymar
Brazilian footballer, all-time top scorer and assist provider for Brazil.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, born 5 February 1992 and commonly called Neymar, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Santos in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, where he also serves as captain. Known for his dribbling, technical skill, agility, passing, and finishing, he is considered one of the sport's all-time greats. According to Opta Sports, he was the best player in Europe for three straight seasons from 2016–17 to 2018–19, and ranked second in 2015–16 and 2019–20; CIES ranked him second in 2020–21. He holds the records for both most goals (80) and most assists (59) for Brazil's national team.
Neymar debuted professionally for Santos in 2009 and quickly became a teenage star. In 2011, he guided Santos to the Copa Libertadores title and was named the tournament's best player. He moved to Barcelona in 2013, joining Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez to form the MSN attacking trio. During the 2014–15 season, he was joint top scorer in both the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey as Barcelona won the continental treble. By age 23, he was seen as one of the world's three best players, alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
After four seasons at Barcelona, Neymar transferred to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world-record €222 million. Though he became injury-prone, he remained PSG's key player and helped them win Ligue 1 in 2017–18, 2019–20, and 2022–23, but the club never won the Champions League, finishing as runners-up in 2020 and reaching the semi-finals in 2020–21. He is among PSG's all-time top scorers and one of the few players to score over 100 goals for three different clubs. In 2023, he joined Saudi club Al-Hilal, then returned to Santos in January 2025.
Neymar earned 130 caps for Brazil, the second-most in the country's history. He played in four consecutive World Cups from 2014 to 2026, scoring nine goals in 15 matches. His international honors include winning the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup (where he received the Golden Ball), an Olympic gold medal in 2016—Brazil's first—and a silver medal in 2012. After missing Brazil's 2019 Copa América victory due to injury, he led the team to the 2021 Copa América final and shared the Golden Ball. He retired from international football in 2026.
Off the pitch, Neymar is one of the world's most famous athletes. SportsPro named him the most marketable athlete, h
- born
- 5 February 1992
- field
- Football (soccer)
- nationality
- Brazilian
- known_for
- Dribbling, technical ability, playmaking, finishing; all-time top scorer and assist provider for Brazil
Lore & Background
Neymar made his professional debut with Santos in 2009 and soon emerged as a teenage sensation. In 2011, he led Santos to the Copa Libertadores title and was named the tournament's best player. After attracting interest from Europe's top clubs, Neymar joined Barcelona in 2013, where he was part of the MSN attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. He finished as joint top scorer in the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey as Barcelona completed the continental treble in 2014–15. At age 23, he was viewed as one of the world's three best players, alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
After four seasons, Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 in a world-record €222 million transfer. Despite becoming injury-prone, he remained PSG's talisman and was vital to Ligue 1 title wins in 2017–18, 2019–20 and 2022–23, but failed to win the Champions League. As one of the club's all-time top goalscorers, he is one of the few players to have scored over 100 goals with three clubs. In 2023, he joined Saudi club Al-Hilal before returning to Santos in January 2025.
Neymar was capped 130 times for the Brazil national team, the second-most for the country. He appeared in four consecutive FIFA World Cups from 2014 to 2026, scoring nine goals in 15 matches. His international honours include the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, for which he won the Golden Ball, as well as an Olympic gold medal in 2016 — the nation's first — and a silver medal in 2012. He retired from international football in 2026.
Reader's Guide
Neymar's significance lies in his sustained excellence as both a goalscorer and playmaker, recognized by Opta Sports as the best player in Europe for three consecutive seasons from 2016–17 to 2018–19. He is the all-time top goalscorer (80) and assist provider (59) for the Brazil national team, and one of the few players to have scored over 100 goals with three clubs. His transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for €222 million remains a world record. Despite injury setbacks, he led PSG to multiple Ligue 1 titles and helped Brazil win its first Olympic gold medal in 2016. His legacy includes being named the world's most marketable athlete by SportsPro and appearing on Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes, as well as the Time 100 Most Influential People list in 2017. His return to Santos in 2025 closed a chapter of global club moves, cementing his status as a Brazilian football icon.
Did You Know?
- Neymar is the all-time top goalscorer (80) and assist provider (59) for the Brazil national team.
- He was the best player in Europe for three consecutive seasons from 2016–17 to 2018–19 according to Opta Sports.
- His transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 was a world-record €222 million.
- He won an Olympic gold medal in 2016, the first for Brazil's national football team.
More in Soccer 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record