Neymar: holder against Real Madrid?

Returned from an ankle injury in the round of 16 first leg against Real Madrid on February 15, the presence of Neymar this Wednesday March 9 in the return match is envisaged.

Back from a long absence in the first leg after an injury, Neymar should start against the real Madrid this Wednesday, March 9 in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League. Recruited to help Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League, the Brazilian has not yet succeeded in his mission. In a live Twitch on February 22 with former footballing glory Ronaldo, Neymar showed confidence for the return match in Madrid: “ The team still needs to adjust but we will make history against your Real Madrid.”

Neymar was born on February 5, 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, a city located in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. Son of Neymar Santos Sr, former footballer and Nadine Santos, he inherited his father’s first name at birth. In his childhood, the young Brazilian played both futsal and street football where he made dribbling his trademark. At age three, his family moved to São Vicente, where he played for Santista, a local club. In 2003, they left for Santos, a port city in Brazil, less than an hour from São Paulo, where Neymar Jr joined the Santos football club where he would do all his training before arriving in Europe. A football prodigy, the native of Mogi das Cruzes quickly became famous, so much so that his income as a footballer enabled his parents to buy a new property next to Vila Belmiro, the stadium where Santos plays at home.

Aged 15, Neymar earns 10,000 Brazilian reals a month and at 16, he receives 25,000. to be the new nugget of Brazilian football. He signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 with his club Santos where he began his professional career on March 7, 2009 with an entry into play. The following week, Neymar scored his first goal with the “pros” against Palmeiras in the league during the semi-final. If his club loses in the final against Corinthians, Neymar Jr participates in the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria.

After winning the league in 2010, Neymar Jr stoked envy in Europe and Santos turned down offers from West Ham and Chelsea. But it was FC Barcelona who recruited the Brazilian in 2013 where he would stay for four seasons before becoming the most expensive player in the history of football and joining Paris Saint-Germain for 222 million euros.

Since the start of his career, Neymar has been chasing the World Cup. In 2014, the Brazilian seemed to be off to a good start, but a terrible injury in the quarter-finals deprived him of a semi-final against Germany where the Seleção collapsed against Germany. The PSG striker won the Confederations Cup in 2013 and especially the Olympic Games in 2016 at home in Rio de Janeiro. In club, Neymar Jr evolved in 3 professional clubs: Santos, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

With the Brazilian club, he won the Brazilian Cup in 2010, the Copa Libertadores in 2011 and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2012. With the Blaugranas, Neymar won the Champions League in 2015, the Spanish championship in 2015 and 2016 , but also the King’s Cup (2015, 2016, 2017), the Supercup in 2013 and the Club World Cup in 2015. In France, the native of Mogi das Cruzes was titled three times in Ligue 1 (2018, 2019, 2020), once in the Coupe de France (2020), the Coupe de la Ligue in 2020 and the Champions Trophy (2018 and 2020).

In terms of personal accolades, Neymar is considered one of the greatest players in Brazilian and world football. He was voted best South American player of the year in 2011 and 2012, in addition to having won the Golden Samba four times, the trophy for the best Brazilian player playing in Europe.

Dream of the Brazilian, the Golden Ball is not yet part of the trophy cabinet of Neymar who never did better than a third place in 2017. It must be said that the Brazilian is of the same generation as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two footballers who have won a large part of the individual awards in recent years. Here is Neymar’s Ballon d’Or standings since 2011:

• 2011: 10th (1.12%)
• 2012: 13th (0.61%)
• 2013: 5th (3.17%)
• 2014: 7th (2.21%)
• 2015: 3rd (7.86%)
• 2016: 5th (4.31%)
• 2017: 3rd (12.88%)
• 2018: 12th (0.66%)
• 2019: Unrated
• 2020: Not awarded
• 2021: 16th (0.33%)

Since the start of his career, Neymar has played nearly 15 professional seasons, including five at Santos and four at Barcelona. With the Brazilian club, he played 225 games for 136 goals and 66 assists while in four seasons with the Catalan club, “Ney” played 189 games for 105 goals and 59 assists. With Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar has played nearly 150 games.

Entitled “Neymar, perfect chaos”, the Netflix documentary broadcast on Tuesday January 25 enters the privacy of the PSG star. For a year, the film crews of the streaming platform followed the Brazilian player on a daily basis. Throughout the documentary (broadcast in three parts), the footballer responds frankly to the criticisms made of his game, his absences from the field, his lifestyle and his ancillary activities such as poker.

“I didn’t choose to be a superstar. I’d rather be anonymous than famous. I am aware of my responsibilities. It’s my life, I do what I want” explains the Brazilian in the report. Neymar looks back on his childhood, he traces his rise to the top from Santos to his prowess at FC Barcelona until his arrival at PSG in 2017. His selection career is also discussed, he explains that he has to undergo pressure off- norm just like at Paris Saint-Germain where it is increasingly contested.

Kylian Mbappé, David Beckham Angel Di Maria or even the sevenfold Golden Ball, Lionel Messitake part in the documentary to evoke the Brazilian.

6th highest paid sportsman in 2021, Neymar won 95 million dollars in total this year, including 19 million in extra sports income and 76 million in sports income. Since the beginning of his career, the Brazilian has managed his affairs with his dad who has become his adviser.