Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Portuguese pronunciation: [nejˈmaʁ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈsɐ̃tus ˈʒũɲoʁ]; born 5 February 1992), commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Brazil national team as a forward or winger, and is also the captain of the national team.

At the age of 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award, after coming third in 2010.^[5] He followed this up by winning it again in 2012. In 2011 Neymar received nominations for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, where he came 10th, and the FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year, which he won.^[6] He is known for his acceleration, dribbling skills, finishing and ability with both feet. His playing style has earned him critical acclaim, with fans, media and former players drawing comparison to former Brazil forward Pelé, who has called Neymar "an excellent player", while Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi have stated "he will be the best in the world".^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

Neymar joined Santos in 2003 and, aged 17, made his debut for the club in 2009 and was voted the Best Young Player of the 2009 Campeonato Paulista. Neymar was named player of the year as Santos won the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, and he was also top scorer in the 2010 Copa do Brasil with 11 goals. He finished the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games, as his club achieved the Double. Neymar was again voted the player of the year in 2011 as Santos retained the state title and also won the 2011 Copa Libertadores securing a Continental Double, Santos' first since 1963. Joining Barcelona in June 2013, in his second season at the club in 2014-15, Neymar helped them win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

Neymar has represented Brazil at Under-17, Under-20 and senior levels. On 10 August 2010, aged 18, he made his senior debut for Brazil in a friendly match against the United States; he scored in a 2–0 win. Neymar was the leading goal scorer of the 2011 South American Youth Championship with nine goals, including two in the final, in the 6–0 win against Uruguay. He was named in Brazil's squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup, and was assigned the number 10 shirt. On 30 June, Neymar scored Brazil's second goal in the 3–0 final win over Spain. His performances saw him receive the golden ball as player of the tournament.^[12] At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Neymar scored four goals before he suffered a fractured vertebra in his spine in the quarter-finals and missed the rest of the tournament. He received the Bronze Boot as the tournament's third top goalscorer, and was named in the World Cup All Star XI. Neymar captained Brazil at the 2015 Copa América, but in the group stage was given a suspension which ruled him out for the rest of the tournament.

With 46 goals in 67 matches for Brazil, Neymar is the fifth highest goalscorer for his national team.^[13] In 2012 and 2013, SportsPro named him the most marketable athlete in the world.^[14] In December 2013 he was ranked by The Guardian as the sixthNeymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, to Neymar Santos, Sr. and Nadine da Silva. He inherited his name from his father, who is a former footballer and became his son's advisor as Neymar's talents began to grow.^[16] Neymar comments on his father's role "My father has been by my side since I was little. He takes care of things, my finances and my family."^[17] Growing up, Neymar combined his love of futsal with street football.^[18]

In 2003, Neymar moved with his family to São Vicente, where he began playing for youth side Portuguesa Santista.^[19] Then, later in 2003, they moved to Santos, where Neymar joined Santos FC.^[20] With the success of his youth career and added income, the family bought their first property, a house next to the Vila Belmiro. Their quality of family life improved, as at age 15, Neymar was earning 10,000 reais per month and at 16, 125,000 reais per month. At 17, he signed a full professional contract, getting upgraded to the Santos first team and even receiving sponsorships.^[21] best player in the world.^[15]