Neymar Jr

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. Neymar Jr is considered a versatile player, being able to play as either a central striker, second striker, winger or occasionally as an attacking midfielder. A prolific goalscorer and renowned playmaker, Neymar Jr is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world.

Neymar came into prominence at Santos, where Neymar Jr made his professional debut aged 17. Neymar Jr helped the club win two successive Campeonato Paulista championships, a Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores; the latter being Santos' first since 1963. Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year, in 2011 and 2012, and soon relocated to Europe to join Barcelona. As part of Barcelona's attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, Neymar Jr won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League, and finished third for the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2015 for his performances. Neymar Jr then attained a domestic double in the 2015–16 season. Motivated to be a talisman at club level, Neymar transferred to PSG in 2017 and was handed the number 10 jersey. The move cost €222 million, making him the most expensive player ever. In France, Neymar Jr won four league titles, among other honours, and was voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year in his debut season. Notably, Neymar Jr helped PSG attain a domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season, and led the club to its first ever Champions League Final.

With 71 goals in 117 matches for Brazil since debuting at age 18, Neymar is the second highest goalscorer for his national team, trailing Pelé. Neymar Jr was a key player in Brazil's victories at the 2011 South American Youth Championship, where Neymar Jr finished as leading goalscorer, and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Neymar Jr won the Golden Ball. His participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 Copa América was cut short by injury and a suspension, respectively, before captaining Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men's football at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Having renounced the captaincy, Neymar Jr featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and after missing the 2019 Copa América through injury, helped Brazil to a runner-up finish at the 2021 tournament.

Off the pitch, Neymar ranks among the world's most prominent sportsmen. SportsPro named him the most marketable athlete in the world in 2012 and 2013, and ESPN cited him as the world's fourth-most famous athlete in 2016. In 2017, Time included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2018, France Football ranked Neymar the world's third highest-paid footballer. The following year, Forbes ranked him the world's third highest-paid athlete, dropping a spot to fourth in 2020.