Neymar (1992-…) is a Brazilian professional soccer player. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Neymar is considered one of the world’s best soccer players. He plays for the Brazilian national team, commonly known as A Seleção (The Selection). Neymar, known for his creativity with the ball, is one of the game’s most dynamic strikers. In soccer, a striker is an inside forward primarily responsible for scoring. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials).
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born on Feb. 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The son of a former professional soccer player, Neymar began playing soccer at a young age.
Neymar began his professional career with São Paulo’s Santos FC, joining the team in 2009. FC stands for football club. In 2011, he led Santos to its first Copa Libertadores (Liberators’ Cup) win since 1963. The Copa Libertadores is an annual tournament among South America’s top professional clubs. Also in 2011, Neymar was named South American Footballer of the Year. He won the same award again the next year. In 2013, he transferred to FC Barcelona of La Liga, Spain’s top soccer league. From 2017 to 2023, Neymar played for France‘s Paris Saint-Germain FC, one of soccer’s top teams. In 2023, he joined Al Hilal, a team in Saudi Arabia.
In 2010, Neymar debuted for the Brazilian national team. He first played for the Brazilian Olympic team in 2012. Neymar played for Brazil in the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in his home country of Brazil. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Neymar helped Brazil win its first Olympic gold medal in soccer. He again played for Brazil in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
