Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, better known as Neymar, is a Brazilian footballer. He plays forward and has been with his current club, Paris Saint-Germain since the 2017/18 season. He was nominated for the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2011 and 2012 where he finished 10th. He also won the FIFA Puskas Award for Best Goal in 2011 and has been nominated for this award three times (2010, 2011 and 2012). At the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015, he was among the three finalists for the first time. On June 30, 2013, he won the 2013 Confederations Cup with the Brazilian national team. Neymar scored four goals in five games and was honored with the Adidas Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. In 2015 he won five titles out of a possible six with FC Barcelona. While playing in Barcelona, Neymar was constantly overshadowed by Lionel Messi and orchestrated a transfer to the French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint Germain (PSG). That ended up being the most expensive player transfer in the history of football. In this post, we will find out more about Neymar’s transfer. Let’s get started.
Neymar Transfer: All You Need To Know
When was Neymar born?
Neymar was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, Brazil to father Neymar Sr. and mother Nadine. He took the name from his father Neymar Sr., who was also a football player and acts as his son’s advisor: “My father has been by my side since I was young. He takes care of my affairs, my finances, and my family,” Neymar said of his father. Neymar Jr also has a sister named Rafaella.
In 1992 he moved with his family to Sao Vicente and in 2003 to Santos. Neymar was already earning BRL 10,000 a month by the age of 15, and BRL 25,000 by the time he was 16 (source: es.wikipedia.org).
What is Neymar’s playstyle?
Neymar is known for his acceleration, dribbling skills, technique, and finishing. He was voted South America’s Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2013, breaking multiple records in 2011 for receiving the most points and being the youngest player to receive the award.
Neymar: Professional Career
FC Santos
Neymar started his career in 2003 at FC Santos, where he initially played in various youth teams before making his professional debut in 2009. He quickly became a key player in the senior team. In the same year, he was voted the best young player in the state championship of Sao Paulo, and a year later (2010) for the best attacker and best player. He was also the top scorer in the Copa do Brasil 2010 with eleven goals, which he won with FC Santos. Neymar finished the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games.
In 2011, he was again voted the best player of the Campeonato Paulista, and also won the league title and also the Copa Libertadores, the most important South American club football competition (comparable to the Champions League in Europe). He scored six goals in 13 games and was voted the best player in the competition. He reached the final of the subsequent FIFA Club World Cup with his club but lost 4-0 to the vastly superior FC Barcelona team. Neymar was awarded the bronze ball as the third-best player at the tournament. According to media reports, this game helped decide his move to FC Barcelona.
On February 5th, 2012, his 20th birthday, Neymar scored the 100th goal for FC Santos in a Campeonato Paulista game against Palmeiras, and on October 18 he played his 200th game in a Santos shirt. During his career, Neymar has been nominated for the FIFA Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Púskas Award. He won the Bota de Ouro (Golden Boot) as the top scorer in all Brazilian competitions, as well as the Premio Globolinha de Ouro (Hors Concours, Latin for “out of competition”), an award previously only received by Pele in 1970. In 47 games of the season, Neymar has scored 43 times.
Barcelona FC
On June 3, 2013, Neymar signed his contract as a new FC Barcelona player. The Catalan club paid around 57 million Euros for him. This transfer has come under the limelight for all the wrong reasons recently and Neymar is going to stand trial for an illegal transfer.
He enjoyed a very successful career at Barcelona, including a dominant treble in 2015. However, Neymar was always overshadowed by the brilliance of Lionel Messi, widely considered to be the greatest football player of all time. As a result of that, Neymar grew frustrated and orchestrated the most expensive transfer in football history.
Paris Saint Germain
On August 3, French Premier League club Paris Saint-Germain transferred Neymar’s agreed transfer fee of 222 million euros to FC Barcelona, completing the most expensive transfer in football history. In Paris, Neymar’s salary is 30m net per season.
Neymar: Brazilian national team
Neymar made his Brazil senior debut aged 18 in a friendly against the USA in August 2010, where he also scored a goal. He previously played in the U17 and U20 tournaments. He is also a part of the Olympic squad that took Brazil to the 2012 Olympics and made it to the final.
In the 2011 Campeonato del Sur he was the top scorer with nine goals and scored twice in the 6-0 win over Uruguay in the final. He is also Olímpica’s top scorer with eleven goals.
In 2012, he was named the Athlete with the Highest Promotional Value by SportsPro magazine. He retained that title in 2013. That same year he won the 2013 Confederations Cup and finished as the tournament’s third-top scorer with four goals in five games, including one in the final against Spain.
The Neymar Transfer Saga
The most expensive transfer in the history of football is perfect. Brazilian offensive star Neymar moved from FC Barcelona to former French series champions Paris Saint-Germain for 222 million euros. The 25-year-old has signed a five-year contract, as the capital club announced on Thursday. “I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain. Since I arrived in Europe, the club has been one of the most ambitious,” said Neymar.
With the 222 million euros, Neymar and his new employer PSG entered a new financial dimension. The most expensive transfer till then, Paul Pogba a year ago from Juventus Turin to Manchester United, was 105 million euros. Neymar was due to be officially unveiled in Paris on Friday and could already play his first league game for the new club against SC Amiens on Saturday.
Neymar’s change should also ensure further movement in the international player market. Barcelona will probably also use part of the 222 million euros to get a replacement for the Brazilian, who after a long back and forth through his legal representative had himself deposited the fixed transfer fee with his previous club on Thursday. “It is with great joy and pride that we welcome Neymar Jr to Paris Saint-Germain,” said club president Nasser al-Khelaifi. “He is one of the best players in world football. His winning mentality, the strength of character, and sense of leadership make him a great player.”
With the arrival of Neymar, we come closer to the goal of “realizing our biggest dreams.” PSG wants to make a new attempt this year to win the Champions League. Neymar stressed that the “biggest challenge” is “that I want to help the club conquer the titles that the fans have always wanted. Paris Saint-Germain’s ambitions drew me to this club, along with the passion and energy.” He wants to bring joy to the “millions of fans” around the world.
During his time with the Catalans, Neymar won the Champions League once, the Club World Cup once and the Super Cup once, he won the Spanish championship twice with Barcelona and the cup three times.
He formed a particularly successful trio with his South American attacking colleagues Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Luis Suarez (Uruguay). The transfer was preceded by days of back and forth. On Thursday, the Spanish league and its boss Javier Tebas rejected the acceptance of the transfer check and accused PSG of violating financial fair play. The Qatari oil sheikhs, who run PSG, accused Tebas of “financial doping”.
The French league reacted with incomprehension and called on the Spanish authorities to give up this blocking attitude. They support PSG and want Neymar in Ligue 1, it said in a statement. Even France’s President Emmanuel Macron has already welcomed Neymar’s move. When visiting a holiday event for children, he also met PSG boss al-Khelaifi on Thursday – and congratulated him, according to the French news agency AFP: “Congratulations, I heard that there is good news.”
What did the UEFA say about Neymar’s transfer?
The European football union Uefa assured once again on request: “All clubs in Europe must respect the rules of financial fair play and show that they do not have losses higher than 30 million euros in three years.” Neymar’s transfer would impact PSG’s finances for many years. However, the impact cannot be predicted in advance as PSG could still sell some players for significant sums.
The President of FC Barcelona, Josep Bartomeu, recently said in an interview with the AP news agency that it is impossible to draw the exit clauses without violating financial fair play. Even before the hiccup, the planned transfer triggered not only euphoria in France but also outrage and incomprehension. “There has been indecency in football for some time. And here a peak is reached,” wrote Le Journal de la Haute-Marne. The Journal commented that it was primarily a marketing object for which the Qatari at the helm of Neymar’s new club would pay dearly. In fact, the numbers reported by the international media in addition to the fixed transfer fee seem insane.
The British broadcaster Sky UK wrote of a total volume of around 500 million euros, which should include the transfer fee, bonus payments and salary. According to the report, Neymar had agreed to a five-year deal. The 25-year-old Brazilian should get 30 million euros per year. In Paris, Neymar will meet his compatriots Thiago Silva and Dani Alves, among others, as well as German internationals Julian Draxler and keeper Kevin Trapp. And Neymar is probably certain of the role of the undisputed superstar – no more Lionel Messi next to him, like at FC Barcelona, or no more Luis Suarez, who said goodbye again on Thursday via Instagram: “My friend, I wish you the best for what is to come!”
What has been the impact of Neymar’s transfer?
Five years ago, Neymar switched from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a record transfer fee of 222 million euros. But the great love affair between Brazil’s superstar and the French series champion never came about. Will that be different in the new season?
In the summer of 2017, the Eiffel Tower lit up in red and blue, the club colors of his club Paris Saint-Germain, in honor of Neymar. Neymar was the new king of football in the French capital. Never before had the structure been used for such a purpose.
Five years later, there is no more talk of such honorifics for the Brazilian superstar, who left FC Barcelona on August 3, 2017, for a transfer fee of 222 million euros, which has never been reached again and became a PSG professional. The club bosses from Qatar would apparently like to get rid of the 30-year-old. A spectacular turnaround after PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi extended the contract, which would have expired on June 30 this year, by six years almost 15 months ago. Neymar is under contract in Paris until 2027.
That is also the dilemma for PSG: selling the star seems impossible. Because no other club can currently raise such sums, except perhaps Newcastle United, which became rich with the help of Saudi financiers. Neymar just doesn’t want to go there. For comparison: The record transfer in this change period is the Frenchman Aurélien Tchouameni (22), who switched from AS Monaco midfield to Real Madrid headquarters for 80 million euros.
How has Neymar’s PSG career been?
Neymar’s PSG record reads well with 162 goals (102 goals/60 assists) in 145 games, but a love relationship with the club and fans never developed. Overall, Neymar failed in almost half of all competitive games. And so it seems like forever since he realized his potential in the PSG jersey. At the final tournament of the Champions League in Lisbon in 2020, he was at his best, leading Paris to the final against FC Bayern (0-1).
Since then he has only been a shadow of himself and is whistled at every home game in the Prinzenpark – Paris, city of love? “They can do it as long as they want, I have a long-term contract and I am convinced that the tide will turn in my favor again,” he said recently. He took a step towards making amends in the Supercup against FC Nantes (4-0). With two goals, he indicated what he is capable of.
After five years, Neymar has to deliver. The World Cup in three and a half months seems to be an incentive for him. Since the start of preparation, he has shown himself to be more disciplined. So he showed up four days earlier than expected to start training. On a PR tour in Japan, he was the only PSG player who had to go to a TV show in the morning. He got up two hours before the show and started to make time for breakfast.
Is this the new Neymar who wants to prove that he can be counted on and that a move is not an option for him? He seems eager to show everyone that he can lead PSG to the throne of Europe alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Not everyone believes in it. “I’m excited to see Neymar’s performances in the coming months,” said Jerome Rothen, ex-PSG professional and a presenter at RMC Sport. “But he shouldn’t think that he’s the best again just because he scored a brace in the Supercup. He has to deliver in the premier class and see that he stays fit for a whole season. I have some doubts about it because he’s never been consistent before. He’s also under a lot of pressure because the fans don’t want him anymore.” Difficult prospects for the footballer who cost the highest transfer fee in history five years ago.