Brazil forward Neymar Jr. is one of the most prolific footballers in modern times and his rise to the top is a great success story in itself.
Neymar began his career with Brazilian club Santos in 2003 when he was inducted into their youth academy as an 11-year-old.
He moved up the ranks and made his debut for the first team six years later, at the age of 17. In his first full season with the club, he scored 14 goals in 48 appearances.
Neymar quickly became a fan favourite with his playing style, scoring goals at will, tormenting the opposition defence with his playmaking abilities and the vision to find gaps in the final third.
After a successful five-year stint with Santos, he moved to Spanish giants FC Barcelona, where he made a lethal attacking partnership with former FCB players Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.
Neymar’s four-year tenure at Camp Nou yielded a FIFA Club World Cup, a UEFA Champions League, two La Liga titles, one UEFA Super Cup and three Spanish Cup trophies.
In August 2017, Paris Saint Germain signed Neymar for a reported fee of USD 243 million, which broke the record for the highest transfer fee paid for a player, earlier held by the Juventus star Paul Pogba.
So far, Neymar has won four Ligue 1 titles, three French Cup trophies and four French Super Cups with PSG.
As far as his international exploits are concerned, he currently stands second on the list of highest goal-scorers for Brazil, behind Pele. He has won every major accolade with the Selecao, with only the all-important FIFA World Cup missing from his trophy cabinet.
All the fame over the years has not only made Neymar one of the poster boys of football but also a fan favourite. He soon became the face of renowned brands, which has swelled the Brazilian’s bankroll exponentially.
Neymar’s net worth
According to Forbes, Neymar is the world’s fourth-highest paid athlete of 2022, behind Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo, former teammate Lionel Messi and basketball star Lebron James.
Neymar has signed various sponsorship and endorsement deals since his reputation began to grow as a teenager.
In March 2011, he signed a 11-year contract worth USD 210 million with the popular sports brand Nike, which ended in August 2020.
According to a report in 2018, Neymar was one the most branded footballers at the time with as many as 35 brands on board, including Flutter Entertainment, Konami, Meta, Netflix, Qatar Airways, Qatar National Bank and audio brand Beats among many others.
As of 2022, his off-field earnings are estimated at USD 25 million, primarily from his endorsements for Puma and Red Bull.
Neymar's salary
Neymar's reported weekly wage with PSG is around USD 700,000.
Playing for PSG, Neymar has made roughly USD 70 million, including all bonuses, between May 2021 and May 2022.
Neymar's assets
In 2012, Neymar bought a yacht costing around USD 8 million. He named it after his mother, Nadine.
The Brazilian talisman also owned two private jets that he bought in 2015 and 2016, respectively, for a combined worth of USD 22 million.
Neymar also owns some of the most luxurious cars, with his garage boasting the likes of Ferrari 458 Italia, Maserati MC12 (only 50 units of which exist in the world), Audi RS7, Audi Q7, Audi R8 Spyder, the Lykan Hypersport (one of the fastest cars of all time) and a Lamborghini Veneno.
Neymar owns massive mansions in his homeland, Brazil. In December 2021, he bought one of them for around USD 3.25 million. The PSG star also has a huge six-bedroom mansion near Rio de Janeiro.
Photo credit: Alamy
