An Interesting Short Biography of Neymar Jr, the Soccer Wonder

Popularly named as Neymar Jr. or just Neymar, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior is a Brazilian soccer prodigy who won Player of the Year Award consecutively four times by the age of 21.

Neymar Jr. was born on 5th February 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and started showing impressive soccer abilities at a very early age. Just in his teen age, he became a star for Santos FC and one of the most popular public personalities of Brazil. He moved to Europe and joined FC Barcelona for the beginning of 2013-14 season and helped the Spanish powerhouse earn domestic as well as international titles.

Neymar Jr. is the son of a former professional soccer player. He started playing futsal, an indoor version of soccer, and street games and followed his dad’s footsteps. In 1999, he joined the Portuguesa Sanista youth club and became one of country’s most highly esteemed young talents in a few years.

Just at the age of 11, Neymar Jr joined the youth system of Santos FC. His fame spread up to Europe and at the age of 14 he was invited by Real Madrid C.F. to continue his development. However, the team management of the Santos convinced Neymar to remain back by offering him a large bonus.

In 2009, Neymar’s senior debut started for Santos. He lived up to the big expectations by winning the Best Young Player Award of the league. In 2010, he became a full-scale star, helping Santos claim the league as well as Copa do Brasil championships on his way to the first of three straight scoring titles and the four consecutive Player of the Year awards. During the same season, he even debuted for the senior national team. He also started wearing a Mohawk-style haircut, which spread like a wildfire among his young fans.

In 2011, Neymar Jr. helped Santos win its first Copa Libertadores championship in 48 years by producing something that would be designated as the FIFA Goal of the Year. However, he also started experiencing the backlash that comes with fame. He was condemned for his play in Brazil’s loss in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Copa America tournament and was also criticized by the media for having a child without marriage.

His 100th professional goal was scored by Neymar on his 20th birthday in 2012 and he completed that year with his career’s best total of 43. Again he was criticized when Brazil lost the 2012 Summer Olympics gold-medal game against an underdog Mexico team.

But just in 2013, the young star silenced his critics by earning a victory to Brazil in 2013 Confederations Cup, proving his ability to shoulder bigger responsibilities on the world stage.