Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born February 5, 1992. He is known as Neymar to millions of people around the world. He began playing soccer when he was a little boy in São Vicente. He was inspired by his father who was a former professional soccer player. His father became his mentor throughout his whole career. He started off playing street and indoor soccer and later joined a youth team. In 2003 he moved to Santos and continued playing soccer with the youth academy of Santos. 

Neymar plays the position of forward on the field. He is known for his acceleration, speed, dribbling, and the ability to finish (shoot) with both feet. Neymar is a very strong player on the field. Although there are many great soccer players around the world, Neymar is one of the most skilled players with the ball. Neymar is one of the best players around the world when it comes to his footwork. Neymar has around three hundred and four goals during his career time. 

Neymar started in Santos but soon went to Barcelona and played with Lionel Messi, who is one of the best/ most known players in the world. 

He plays for his Country Brazil in the world cup. Neymar’s first world cup game was in 2014, where he scored four goals before his injury, placing himself as the joint-third top scorer of the competition alongside his club teammate Lionel Messi and Dutch forward Robin van Persie. He played in the 2018 world cup as well. He scored twice during the 2018 world cup. Neymar just recently played in the 2022 world cup for his country Brazil. He scored twice during the 2022 world cup. This brings him to a total of eight goals for Brazil in the world cup.  

Neymar has had six severe ankle injuries that he has overcome and moved on from. Recently during the 2022 world cup Neymar suffered from a lateral ligament injury in his right ankle. The most serious injury Neymar ever faced was the rupture of the ligaments in one of his ankles. He went almost three months without playing to recover his ankle. 

Neymar goes through very physical and active training. He does high levels of cardio every day. He trains more often during the off season but is a strong believer of having rest days to relax his muscles. Neymar believes that training not only helps your physical abilities but also helps increase flexibility and boost your confidence. The key in preforming well during a competitive 90-minute game is your confidence.  

Neymar is currently thirty years old and just finished his 2022 world cup season after making it to the quarter finals. He has been playing soccer throughout his life and has gone through many challenges. The next world cup is In the United States in 2026. As of now it’s a mystery if Neymar will be joining Brazil to compete or if the 2022 world cup was his last. Although many fans want him to compete, it might not be the best thing for his mental and physical health.  

Neymar has overcome many obstacles and is an inspiration to many people and soccer players throughout the world. He is a well-known and loved player who brings hard-work, joy, and determination to the field.