50 Fun Facts About Neymar

In which year was Neymar born?

He made his professional debut a month after turning 17, in March 2009.

In which São Paulo city was Neymar born?

The family moved to São Vicente and then Santos in 2003, buying a house next to the Vila Belmiro.

Which Brazilian player did Neymar call his 'idol' growing up?

Robinho, like Neymar, came through the Santos academy and wore number 10 there.

Aged 14, Neymar had a trial with the youth team of which European giant?

His father decided the boy should keep growing up at Santos.

Neymar made his professional debut for Santos in 2009 against which club?

It was a 2–1 win in the Campeonato Paulista, one month after his 17th birthday.

Which continental trophy did Neymar lead Santos to in 2011?

It was the club's first since the Pelé era of the 1960s; he was named the tournament's best player.

Which Uruguayan club did Santos beat in the 2011 continental final?

Neymar opened the scoring in the 2–1 second leg.

Neymar's 2011 FIFA Puskás Award-winning solo goal came in a 5–4 loss to which club?

Ronaldinho was on the other side in that nine-goal thriller.

Which two Premier League clubs bid for Neymar in the summer of 2010?

Chelsea's bid was reported at around £20 million; he stayed in Brazil.

Neymar took the 2011 Club World Cup Bronze Ball behind Messi and which other player?

Santos lost the final 4–0 to Barcelona, the club Neymar joined 18 months later.

Which magazine put Neymar on its cover in February 2013 as 'The Next Pelé'?

He was the first Brazilian athlete on its cover.

What did Barcelona reveal Neymar's transfer had really cost after a 2014 investigation?

President Sandro Rosell resigned the day before the figure was released.

Whom did Neymar replace for his Barcelona debut in a 7–0 win over Levante?

He came on in the 63rd minute of the 2013–14 opener.

What did the media call the Messi, Suárez and Neymar front three?

They scored 122 goals in 2014–15 and 131 the next season, both Spanish records.

Neymar scored in the 2015 Champions League final against which club?

Barcelona won 3–1 in Berlin to become the first club to win the treble twice.

Where did Neymar finish in the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or?

He took 7.86 percent of the vote behind Messi and Ronaldo.

Against which club did Neymar score four goals in a 5–2 win during Messi's 2015 injury absence?

He hit 13 goals and 9 assists in just 8 games in that stretch.

What was Neymar's initial buy-out clause in the Barcelona contract he signed in July 2016?

It rose to €222 million in year two, the figure PSG eventually paid.

Barcelona's 6–1 'Remontada' over PSG in 2017 overturned what first-leg score?

Neymar scored twice and assisted the 95th-minute winner in the final seven minutes.

Neymar's final Barcelona goal came in the 2017 Copa del Rey final against which club?

It made him the first since Ferenc Puskás to score in three straight Copa del Rey finals.

How many goals did Neymar score in 186 Barcelona appearances?

He added 76 assists in four seasons.

What was the world-record fee PSG paid for Neymar in 2017?

His lawyers paid it directly to Barcelona after La Liga refused to accept the money.

Which PSG midfielder handed Neymar the number 10 shirt as a 'welcome gift'?

The Eiffel Tower lit up in red and blue to mark his arrival.

Against which club did Neymar make his PSG debut, scoring and assisting in a 3–0 win?

Guingamp defender Lucas Deaux said he had 'never seen a player like this before'.

In January 2018 Neymar scored four and assisted two in an 8–0 rout of which club?

L'Équipe gave him a rare 10 rating for the performance.

Neymar's first appearance of 2019–20, amid boos, ended with what kind of winning goal against Strasbourg?

He had spent the summer pushing for a return to Barcelona.

Which club beat PSG 1–0 in the 2020 Champions League final?

It was PSG's first final; Neymar was visibly distraught at full time.

Against which club did Neymar score a Champions League hat-trick in a 5–1 win in 2020?

It made him the first player to reach 20 Champions League goals for two different clubs.

What nickname did the media give the Mbappé, Neymar and Messi trio at PSG?

Messi and Sergio Ramos arrived in 2021 to make PSG favourites.

Neymar scored his 100th PSG goal in a 5–0 win over which club?

It made him one of the few to score 100 for three different clubs.

Roughly how many matches did Neymar miss through injury in his six PSG seasons?

Around 20 separate injuries, a fragility not seen at Barcelona or Santos.

Which Saudi club signed Neymar in August 2023?

The reported €90 million fee was a Saudi Pro League record.

Which shirt number did Neymar take on returning to Santos in 2025?

Pelé wore it at the club from 1956 to 1974; Neymar wore 100 once, for his 100th Vila Belmiro match.

Neymar made his Brazil debut in 2010 against which nation?

He scored a header after 28 minutes at age 18, wearing number 11.

Which coach left Neymar out of Brazil's 2010 World Cup squad despite a 14,000-signature petition?

Pelé and Romário had both urged his inclusion.

Which nation beat Brazil 2–1 in the 2012 Olympic final at Wembley?

Neymar had scored three times on the way to the final.

Brazil beat which team 3–0 in the 2013 Confederations Cup final, with Neymar scoring?

He won the Golden Ball after scoring in all three group games too.

Whose knee in the back fractured Neymar's vertebra at the 2014 World Cup?

Brazil then lost the semi-final 7–1 to Germany without him.

Which World Cup award did Neymar win in 2014?

He was third top scorer and named in the Dream Team.

Neymar scored four goals in one Brazil match for the first time against which country?

The 4–0 friendly was played in Singapore in October 2014.

Brazil beat which nation on penalties in the 2016 Olympic final for a first men's gold?

Neymar scored the opening free kick and the winning penalty at the Maracanã.

Which goalkeeper's fingertip save denied Neymar a late equaliser in Brazil's 2018 exit?

Belgium won the quarter-final 2–1.

With whom did Neymar share the 2021 Copa América Golden Ball?

Argentina beat Brazil 1–0 in the final at the Maracanã.

Neymar's 2022 World Cup goal against South Korea made him the third Brazilian to score in three World Cups after whom?

His extra-time solo goal against Croatia days later equalled Pelé's 77 goals.

Against which nation did Neymar pass Pelé as Brazil's all-time top scorer in 2023?

He mimicked Pelé's punch-the-air celebration for the record-breaking goal.

Neymar's record international assists tally tied which American player's mark?

Assist number 58 was a corner headed in by Gabriel against Venezuela.

How many goals did Neymar finish with for Brazil?

In 130 caps, the second-most for the country; he also has a record 59 assists.

Which sportswear brand did Neymar sign with in 2020 after his Nike deal ended?

He took on the PUMA King boots once worn by Pelé, Maradona and Cruyff.

What is the subtitle of the 2022 Netflix documentary series about Neymar?

DAZN's The Making Of had earlier revisited his Puskás goal against Flamengo.

Which video game series put Neymar on its North American cover in 2012 and 2013?

He later fronted FIFA 19 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.