Neymar celebrates as he scores a goal for his new club. photo courtesy of @Neymarjr
Record breaking deal for the young player from Barcelona to Paris makes him the most expensive player of all time.
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior showed great promise as an emerging player in the world of soccer since a very young age; gaining media exposure as early as 13 years old. He later went on to make his first professional debut at the “Santos Futebol Clube” at the young age of 17. This is where I discovered his unique playstyle and immediately fell in love with the way he took on any defender with confidence. He went on to win multiple titles with his team including two back-to-back Campeonato Paulista championships, Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores, which the club had not won since 1963. This intercontinental success earned him the title of South American Footballer of the year in 2011 and 2012.
Neymar was later picked up for the Brazilian national team in 2010 at the age of 18, playing for both the youth and the men’s team. At the youth level, he was a key player for the Brazilian squad in the 2011 South American Youth Championship finishing as the leading scorer in the tournament. While Neymar achieved great things in this tournament, he also soared on the men’s team on multiple occasions. The first was in the 2013 Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Confederations Cup, where he scored in every group-stage outing, and scoring again in the 3-0 victory of the final against Spain. On top of the goals that he has provided for his nation, he thrilled fans with his speedy dribbles, mazy runs, and accurate shooting with both feet. Exhibiting great composure in the penalty box and uncanny passes to teammates in tight situations, it is no surprise that he has won four Budweiser Man of the Match awards since the beginning of the competition, and went on to win the Adidas Golden Ball of the tournament.
The next year, Neymar showed great athleticism and skill at the 2014 World Cup, representing his country in five games, scoring four goals and assisting one. His performances earned him two Man of The Match awards and he was ranked as the third best performing player on the FIFA website. Unfortunately, Neymar was unable to continue playing in the tournament after a fractured vertebrae in the quarter final against Colombia.
As a promising young talent in Europe, Neymar was wanted by multiple clubs across the continent from his former Spanish super club, Barcelona. He eventually came to the decision to join the French League champions PSG for a record-breaking fee of 263 million dollars, making him the most expensive soccer player of all time. His price point only goes to prove how phenomenal the player is and why he’s my personal favorite.
