“Neymar” da Silva Santos Júnior
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Brazil national team. Neymar came into prominence at an early age at Santos, where he made his professional debut aged 17. He helped the club win two successive Campeonato Paulista championships, a Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores, Santos’ first continental title since 1963. Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year, in 2011 and 2012, before relocating to Europe to join Barcelona. As part of Barça’s attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, he won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League in the 2014–15 season, followed the next year by the domestic double. He came third for the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2015. In August 2017, Neymar moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in a transaction worth €222 million, making him the world’s most expensive player. With 52 goals in 79 matches for Brazil since debuting at age 18, Neymar is the fourth-highest goalscorer for his national team. He was a key player in Brazil’s victories at the 2011 South American Youth Championship, which he finished as the leading goalscorer, and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he won the Golden Ball as player of the tournament. His participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 Copa América was cut short by injury and a suspension respectively, but the next year he captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men’s football at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Known for his dribbling, finishing, and ability with both feet, Neymar has earned comparisons to former Brazil and Santos forward Pelé. Off the pitch, he 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.
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On 24 May 2013, Santos announced that they had received two offers for Neymar. The following day, Neymar announced he would sign with Barcelona on 27 May 2013 and join the team after playing in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Neither Neymar nor the clubs released details on the transfer fee or personal terms, save to say he signed a five-year deal. On 3 June 2013, Neymar was unveiled by Barcelona after passing medical tests and signing a contract that would keep him at the club through June 2018. Neymar was presented at the Camp Nou in front of 56,500 fans, a record turnout for a Brazilian player. Club vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu initially said Neymar’s transfer fee was €57.1 million and his release clause set at €190 million. Barcelona’s doctor suggested he might need to gain weight to be able to cope physically in Spanish football. In January 2014, the prosecutor’s office in Madrid began investigating the transfer fee that Barcelona paid for Neymar. The documents submitted to the authorities on request contained contradictory information. On 23 January 2014, Rosell resigned from his position as president. A day later, the details of the transfer were revealed by Barcelona; the transfer had in fact cost them €86.2 million (£71.5 million), with Neymar’s parents confirmed to have received a €40 million sum. In the aftermath, Barcelona and Bartomeu were charged with tax fraud. On 30 July 2013, Barcelona drew 2–2 against Lechia Gdańsk in a pre-season friendly; Neymar made his unofficial debut when he came on as a substitute.[81] He scored his first goal for the club in a 7–1 win against a Thailand XI on 7 August. at the Rajamangala National Stadium. Neymar made his competitive debut for Barcelona during the opening game of the 2013–14 La Liga season as a 63rd-minute substitute for Alexis Sánchez in a 7–0 win against Levante. On 21 August, he scored his first competitive goal for the club in the first leg of the 2013 Supercopa de España against Atlético Madrid: seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Pedro, he headed Dani Alves’ cross to equalise in a 1–1 draw at the Vicente Calderón Stadium as Barcelona won on the away goals rule for his first trophy at the club.[84] On 18 September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, assisting a Gerard Piqué goal as Barça beat Ajax 4–0 in their opening match of the 2013–14 tournament. Six days later, Neymar scored his first goal in La Liga in Barcelona’s 4–1 defeat of Real Sociedad at Camp Nou. On 26 October, he made his first El Clásico appearance, scoring the opening goal and assisting the team’s winning goal scored by Alexis Sánchez as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2–1 at Camp Nou. On 11 December, Neymar recorded his first three Champions League goals as he scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over Celtic in Barcelona’s final Group H match.
Fifa Club World Cup 2011
The 2011 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2011 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament that was played from 8 to 18 December 2011. It was the eighth edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations as well as the host nation’s league champions. After the United Arab Emirates hosted the tournament in 2009 and 2010, hosting rights for the 2011 edition returned to Japan. During a visit to Japan on 23 May 2011, FIFA President Sepp Blatter confirmed that Japan would remain as hosts of the tournament despite the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Internazionale were the defending champions, but could not defend their title after being eliminated in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. The tournament was won by Spanish club Barcelona, who defeated Brazilian club Santos 4–0 in the final.
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These boots were worn by Neymar during the Fifa Club World Cup “Japan 2011” between Santos and Barcelona. On 14 December 2011, Neymar scored the opening goal for Santos as they defeated Kashiwa Reysol 3–1 in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup at the Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, but failed to score against Barcelona in the final on 18 December 2011, where Santos were defeated 4–0, finishing as runners-up in the competition. These boots were only worn by Neymar during this competition and they were released in a limited quantity of two pairs only by Nike (one firm ground style and one mixed studs style). Neymar opted to play with a mixed-sole Superfly III in Volt/Retro especially customized for him. His boots contain both the Brazilian and Japanese flags on the instep, with the player’s signature customizations in Japanese Kanji embroidered onto the sides of the boot.
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Following Neymar’s performances for Santos in their successful early 2010 season, including winning the 2010 Copa do Brasil, in which Neymar was the top goalscorer, and the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, in which Neymar scored 14 goals, former Brazilian football players Pelé and Romário reportedly urged coach Dunga to take Neymar to the 2010 World Cup. Although the widespread opinion that Neymar deserved a place in Dunga’s squad went as far as a 14,000 signature petition, and despite the huge pressure on Dunga to pick Neymar, he was omitted from both the squad of 23, and the stand-by list. Although Dunga described Neymar as “extremely talented”, he claimed that he had not been tested sufficiently on the international level to earn a World Cup spot and he had failed to impress enough while on international duty. On 26 July 2010, Neymar was selected for the first time in the Brazil senior team by new head coach Mano Menezes for a friendly match against the United States to be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On 10 August 2010 he made his debut with the national team in that game, aged 18 years old, starting the match and wearing the number 11 jersey. He scored on his debut after 28 minutes, a header coming from an André Santos cross in a 2–0 win for Brazil.[160] On 1 March 2011, Neymar said: “Being on the Brazilian team is a privilege, There are some marvelous players and I’m very happy to be among them.
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Neymar has a son, Davi Lucca, born on 13 August 2011, with former girlfriend Carolina Dantas. Neymar later described the birth of his baby boy as: “2.8 kilograms of pure happiness” and also said: “Mother and baby are in good condition just after childbirth”. He has a very close sibling relationship with his sister Rafaella Beckran, and cemented this platonic closeness by tattooing her face on his arm, while Beckran tattooed her brother’s eyes on her arm. Neymar is a Christian, and follows the Pentecostal branch of the religion. Neymar has spoken about his faith saying: “Life only makes sense when our highest ideal is to serve Christ!” Additionally, he has sometimes worn a headband with the words “100% Jesus”. Neymar reportedly also tithes (10%) his income to his church and has named Kaká as his religious role model. Each year, Neymar organises a charity match with fellow Brazilian footballer Nenê in Nenê’s hometown of Jundiaí, with the purpose of raising food for needy families. In addition to his native Portuguese, Neymar also speaks Spanish. In July 2019 police announced that a rape investigation against Neymar would be dropped due to insufficient evidence. Neymar has signed many sponsorship deals since his reputation began to grow from the age of 17. In March 2011, he signed an 11-year contract with American sportswear company Nike. In the same month, Panasonic paid US$2.4 million to secure Neymar’s services for two years. Prior to signing for Barcelona, France Football had ranked Neymar 13th in its list of the world’s richest players in 2012, with total earnings of $18.8 million for the previous 12 months. He has also signed other sponsorships from Volkswagen, Tenys Pé Baruel, Lupo, Ambev, Claro, Unilever and Santander. By 2018, France Football ranked Neymar the third highest paid footballer in the world, earning €81.5m ($95m) for a calendar year in combined income from salaries, bonuses and endorsements deals. In 2019, Forbes ranked Neymar the world’s third highest-paid athlete (after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) with earnings of $105 million for the calendar year. On 8 May 2013, Neymar was rated by SportsPro magazine as the most marketable athlete in the world, ahead of Lionel Messi (2nd) and Cristiano Ronaldo (8th). The same month, Neymar launched the Nike Hypervenom football boot. In November 2012 advertising agency Loducca, created Neymar’s own personal brand logo, featuring the N, J and R (Neymar Junior) with the N styled to match Neymar’s shirt number 11. Neymar starred in a 2014 advert for Beats with other global football stars including Thierry Henry and Luis Suárez, with the theme of ‘The Game Before The Game’ and the players pre-game ritual of listening to music. Neymar has signed many sponsorship deals since his reputation began to grow from the age of 17. In March 2011, he signed an 11-year contract with American sportswear company Nike. In the same month, Panasonic paid US$2.4 million to secure Neymar’s services for two years. Prior to signing for Barcelona, France Football had ranked Neymar 13th in its list of the world’s richest players in 2012, with total earnings of $18.8 million for the previous 12 months. He has also signed other sponsorships from Volkswagen, Tenys Pé Baruel, Lupo, Ambev, Claro, Unilever and Santander. By 2018, France Football ranked Neymar the third highest paid footballer in the world, earning €81.5m ($95m) for a calendar year in combined income from salaries, bonuses and endorsements deals. In 2019, Forbes ranked Neymar the world’s third highest-paid athlete (after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) with earnings of $105 million for the calendar year.On 8 May 2013, Neymar was rated by SportsPro magazine as the most marketable athlete in the world, ahead of Lionel Messi (2nd) and Cristiano Ronaldo (8th). The same month, Neymar launched the Nike Hypervenom football boot. In November 2012 advertising agency Loducca, created Neymar’s own personal brand logo, featuring the N, J and R (Neymar Junior) with the N styled to match Neymar’s shirt number 11. Neymar starred in a 2014 advert for Beats with other global football stars including Thierry Henry and Luis Suárez, with the theme of ‘The Game Before The Game’ and the players pre-game ritual of listening to music. In April 2017, Neymar was included in the Time 100, Time magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world. In 2019 ESPN again ranked him the world’s fourth most famous athlete. Neymar has become an icon in promoting Brazilian modern pop music, particularly Música sertaneja. The video in which Neymar dances in the Santos locker room dancing in front of teammates carrying his recorder making the round of the players and making them react to the tune of Michel Teló’s hit “Ai se eu te pego!” went viral. He made a point of performing his dance antics to the song after scoring goals in football games and appeared live with Teló in one of the latter’s concerts. He also supported sertanejo singer Gusttavo Lima performing live with Lima on renditions of the singer’s hits “Balada” and “Fazer Beber”. In 2012, he made cameo appearances in the music video for yet another sertanejo hit “Eu Quero Tchu, Eu Quero Tcha” by João Lucas & Marcelo. In 2013, Neymar appeared on a rap music video, “País do Futebol” by MC Guimê. He made a cameo appearance as himself in the 2017 action film XXX: Return of Xander Cage.
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This shirt was worn by Neymar during the Champions League game between Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain which took place in Napoli, “San Paolo” Stadium, on November 6th 1018. PSG draw 1-1 and Neymar swapped his shirt after the game with a Napoli’s player whom we got it from. On 3 August 2017, Barcelona announced that Neymar’s legal representatives made a payment of €222 million to the club, equal to the release clause of his contract, which constituted the most expensive transfer ever. The club informed UEFA so that they can determine any disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case. According to the BBC, in Spain, the release clause must be activated by the footballer himself. The situation was unusual, in that the fee was paid to the club directly, after La Liga had refused to receive the payment. Usually, the buyout clause is deposited with La Liga in order to release the player from his contract, and the league then passes the money to the selling club. However, La Liga rejected the payment—citing violation of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules by PSG, who are backed by money from Gulf state Qatar. Neymar joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a contract that would run until 2022. He was offered the number 10 jersey by Javier Pastore as a “welcome gift”. On 27 August 2017, FC Barcelona filed a lawsuit against Neymar, demanding he return the contract renewal bonus he received as well as €8.5 million in damages and an additional 10% for the arrears. They claimed they are owed money that Neymar received as part of a renewal bonus when he signed a new contract in 2016. The club also requested Paris Saint-Germain to take on the responsibility for the payment of the fees if the player cannot do so himself. Neymar’s lawyers announced that they will contest the case. In the 2018/2019 season, on 12 August 2018, Neymar scored PSG’s opening league goal in a 3–0 win over Caen at Parc des Princes. Neymar scored from a penalty in his next game as PSG won 3–1 against Guingamp in Ligue 1. In the following league game, the front three of Neymar, Mbappé and Cavani all scored in a 3–1 win over Angers at home, with Neymar scoring from Mbappé’s cut back and setting up Cavani to score the opener. On 3 October 2018, Neymar scored a hattrick in a 6–1 win over Red Star Belgrade in a Champions League group stage fixture. He suffered a foot injury in late January 2019 that kept him out of his side’s Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester United F.C. After United eliminated PSG, Neymar went on Instagram insulting video review officials for awarding a stoppage-time penalty to United. UEFA banned Neymar for three matches for the insult. On 27 April 2019, Neymar scored in the 2019 Coupe de France Final against Rennes, but Rennes made a comeback and won on penalties. After the match, Neymar was caught on video appearing to punch a spectator in the face. The spectator had been filming and insulting PSG players. PSG said they supported Neymar “100 percent” over the incident. Neymar admitted he was wrong, but argued that neither he nor anyone else could have stayed indifferent. PSG coach Thomas Tuchel responded: “It’s not easy to climb the stairs after a defeat. If we lose, we must show respect. You can’t come into conflict with a spectator.”
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In the 2018/2019 season, after much muted hype and extreme anticipation, Nike have officially launched the Jordan Brand x Paris Saint-Germain collection. After a series of product teases through the likes of Justin Timberlake and Travis Scott, the collection now hits Paris with full Jumpman flight. In the last few years prior the collection’s launch, Jordan Brand has been a growing presence in Paris. A Jordan-only store — Jordan Bastille — opened in 2016, and in 2017 the brand announced a partnership with the French Basketball Federation. These examples buttress a long-standing, organic relationship between brand and city, which began with Michael Jordan’s first visit in 1985. That connection has been retained through the decades, highlighted by continued support of the Quai 54 World Streetball Championship. So in the 2018/20198 season PSG became the first football club to have a Jordan Brand collection. “Jordan Brand and Paris Saint-Germain share a distinct position in sport and style, so to partner with the club is a natural fit,” says Michael Jordan.
BRAZIL NATIONAL TEAM
Fifa World Cup “RUSSIA 2018”
Match Worn Shirt
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In May 2018, Neymar was named in Tite’s final 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On 3 June 2018, he made his international comeback after a three-month absence from a foot injury and scored a goal in a 2–0 win over Croatia in a friendly match at Anfield. The following week, he became Brazil’s joint-third highest goalscorer alongside Romário when he scored his 55th international goal in a 3–0 friendly win over Austria. In Brazil’s second World Cup match, played against Costa Rica at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, on 22 June, Neymar scored the team’s second goal in injury time as Brazil won 2–0. The goal, his 56th for Brazil, took him third in the all-time scoring chart behind only Pelé and Ronaldo. On 2 July, Neymar scored his second goal of the World Cup in a 2–0 win over Mexico in the last 16, while also assisting Roberto Firmino for his goal. After the Mexico game, BBC Sport wrote that despite Neymar’s “good performances” coming up top in several statistics at the World Cup, “there is still a sense that he remains widely unpopular among neutrals” due to his “petulance and the play-acting”. Meanwhile, Brazilian newspaper O Globo wrote that “Neymar has charmed Brazil, but annoyed the whole world”. On 6 July, Brazil were eliminated after losing 2–1 against Belgium in the quarter-finals, with Neymar denied an injury time equaliser by a finger-tip save from Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
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The media have often drawn comparisons between Neymar and Brazilian legend Pelé, as Neymar possesses similar attributes and also like Pelé came from the Santos Youth Academy and turned heads with his skill. Neymar has said that Pelé is his “role model” but also saying: “I don’t like to make a comparison with Pelé”. He has also been compared to compatriot Ronaldinho. Neymar’s increasing reputation led both the media and former great players to draw comparisons between Neymar and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, which Neymar has commented on saying: “Messi is above everyone, there is no use comparing me with him. He is the best player in the world and I always get inspired when I watch good football.” Ronaldo stated: “Neymar is a great talent, the best we have in Brazil. He is very similar to Messi.” Zico said: “I see Neymar like a [Cristiano] Ronaldo or a Messi, the type who appears and makes things happen.” After his hat-trick in a 3–1 victory against Internacional in the Copa Libertadores and Messi’s five goals scored in the Champions League, Neymar said: “I am a Messi fan. I was told what he did today. I support him to score a lot of nice goals so I can keep copying and imitating him.”
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Neymar primarily plays as either a central striker, second striker, winger or occasionally as an attacking midfielder, and has been described as “a true phenomenon”. He often plays as a left sided forward for both club and country in the team’s 4–3–3 formation, drifting infield, due to his energetic pace and playmaking skills; this position allows him to shoot with his stronger foot, or create chances for teammates. Neymar’s dribbling skills, tricks and playmaking ability are reminiscent of compatriot Ronaldinho. His main traits are his creativity, vision, passing, finishing, dribbling, feints, touch, and technique, being described as both “electric” and “explosive”. He is a notable exponent of the rainbow flick. A prolific goalscorer, although naturally right-footed, he is capable of scoring with both feet, as well as with his head, and is an accurate free-kick and penalty taker. Neymar stated: “I’m always trying to perfect everything – dribbling, shooting, headers and control. You can always improve”. He has been inspired by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Wayne Rooney. Considered to be a highly promising player in his youth, Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho had also tipped Neymar on becoming the best player in the world, stating in 2013: “Neymar is young though, and I can’t explain how special he will become. In the next two or three seasons he will become the best player.” Another Brazilian star, retired World Cup winner Ronaldo also believed that Neymar could become the best in the world, commenting: “Logically, Messi is better right now but Neymar is a great talent who will show the world that he will be number one”. Former Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano has also praised Neymar, stating: “I like Neymar a lot. Many of his individual actions result in a goal and often it’s a move that only seems to be happening with him on the pitch.” After joining Barcelona, Neymar consequently established himself as one of the best players in world football. However, Neymar also has been known and criticized for his excessive diving when tackled by another player for which Pelé has said, “he is a player with a body that can’t take a lot of hits. A lot of times he will fall because he can’t do anything else, but he was overdoing it.” He continued: “Even when he is fouled, he can’t make a spectacle out of it”. During the 2018 World Cup, Neymar’s antics inspired on social media the Neymar Challenge for dramatic dives. As the star player for Brazil (and PSG) he is often the most targeted player on the field; he was the most fouled player in Europe’s top leagues in 2018. A divisive figure in world football, he has been accused of exaggerating injury, with Eric Cantona stating Neymar is a “great actor”, comparing him to a wheeled suitcase: “you barely touch it, and it turns round and round for hours.” In response to the criticism over his petulance and histrionics, Neymar starred in a post 2018 World Cup commercial where he admitted to not being able to deal with his frustrations which contributed to theatrics while on the pitch and promised to change for the better. He has also struggled with injuries throughout his career.
