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30 Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Neymar

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, the Brazilian professional footballer, is the fourth-highest goalscorer for Brazil with 52 goals in 77 matches. In 2016, ESPN cited him as the world's fourth-most famous athlete. Here are some facts about Peixe:Neymar was born on February 05, 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo to Neymar Santos, Sr. and Nadine da Silva. He has a sister, Rafaella Beckran, with whom he is very close and the duo have tattooed each other's image.

1. He and his family often laugh and come out with a phrase in Brazilian "calca de veludo ou bunda de fora", when someone compare him with Messi. It is translated into being bold, brash, and brave with an abiding belief in a singular path.

2. He was naturally gifted and with his love for futsal, helped him hone his skills as far as fancy dribbling is concerned. He is well known in street football and was spotted at the age of 11.

3. When his family moved to 'Sao Vicente,' he joined the youth team of 'Portuguesa Santista' before moving to 'Santos' to join the professional club 'Santos Futebol Clube.'

4. Neymar at 17 years of age made his professional debut on March 07, 2009, for Santos against 'Oeste F.C. He was brought on for the last thirty minutes of the game which Santos won 2-1.

5. Despite his performance in the 2009 U-17 World Cup and high opinion of many a great players, Neymar was not even in the stand-by list of 2010 World Cup Squad. As per national coach, Dunga, Neymar is extremely talented but not tested enough in the international arena.

6. He scored his first goal as a professional in a match against 'Mogi Mirim' and finished the 2009 season with 14 goals in 48 games, a creditable performance for a 17 years old prodigy.

7. Santos won the '2010 Campeonato Paulista' championship with Neymar contributing 14 goals in 19 matches. He was crowned the best player in the competition.

8. In 2010, he received contract offer from, West Ham United and Chelsea to play in English Premier Leagues. He turned it down preferring to spend another season with Santos.

9. On August 10, 2010, Neymar made his debut with the national team in a friendly match against United States, aged 18 years and scored his first goal in the 28th minute sporting jersey no.11.

10. Neymar was jeered and a banana was thrown on the field as he was about to score a goal of free kick in the match against Scotland at the Emirates Stadium on March 27, 2011. He said 'This atmosphere of racism is totally sad and refused to apologies for his remarks.

11. Early in his career no one doubted his talent but his attitude was in question. He had the habit of diving when tackled, rather than attempting to continue his run. He also questioned his club manager when another player was asked to take the penalty, awarded for foul on him.

12. Neymar was adjusted 'Man of the Match' in the '2011 Copa Libetadores Finals' with Santos winning the finals 2-1 against 'Penarol' of Uruguayan side. It was the first title for the Brazilian club in Copa Libetadores since 1963.

13. He was named '2011 South American Footballer of the Year' with a record margin of 130 points, to become the second Santos player to win the award. He also won the '2011 FIFA Puskas Award' for his most beautiful solo goal against Flamengoin the 'Brasileirao' Serie 'A' that year.

14. With Santos winning the '2012 Campeonato Paulista' championship, Neymar was named the 'Player of the Year.' He scored 20 goals in the tournament.

15. Neymar was awarded the Best Forward of '2012 Brasileiro Serie A' with 14 goals in the tournaments.

16. He awarded the 'Best Player' of the '2012 Recopa Sudamericana' with Santos winning the championship beating 'Universidad de Chile' 2-0 in two leg finals. He was also named the '2012 South American Footballer of the Year' in succession.

17. On July 26, 2012, He made his debut at the 2012 London Olympic and scored a goal in Brazil's victory over Egypt. Brazil went on to earn a silver medal.

18. On May 24, 2013, Neymar was transferred to 'Barcelona F.C' and on June 03, he was presented his Barcelona colors at the 'Camp Nou' in front of record turnout of 56,500 fans.

19. After an investigation by the authorities in Madrid, it was revealed by 'Barcelona F.C' that the transfer of Neymar had caused them € 86.2 million including €40 million paid to his parents.

20. He was the member of victories Brazilian team at the '2013 Confederation Cup,' beating Spain 3-0 in the finals. He was awarded the Golden Ball, as the player of the tournament.

21. Neymar made his debut for Barcelona on August 18, as a substitute in a match against Levante UD and scored his first competitive goal for the club against Atletico Madrid during 2013 Supercopa de Espana.

22. On March 05, 2014, he made headlines not only for his hat-trick of goals also for his heartwarming gesture after the match against South Africa in Johannesburg. He embraced a young jubilant South African fan, who ran on to the pitch.

23. Neymar made his first appearance in the World Cup on June 12, 2014, against Croatia for his 50th international cap but had to leave the tournament midway after he injured his vertebra, during a quarter-final match against Colombia.

24. On September 05, 2014, Neymar was appointed as captain of Brazil, following Thiago Silva's injury. He was the fifth highest goal scorer for Brazil with 22 goals in 58 internationals.

25. He was criticized for his act of showboating in the final minutes of the match against Athletic Bilbao in the '2015 Copa del Ray' finals. Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, brushed aside the issue for cultural reason.

26. Neymar helped Barcelona to its fifth 'European Cup' win and became the first player to score in the finals of both 'Copa Libertadores and the 'UEFA Champions League' victories.

27. On August 20, 2016, Neymar scored the final penalty against Germany in the 2016 Summer Olympic for Brazil's first gold medal.

28. He has a son Davi Lucca born on August 24, 2011, with former girlfriend Carolina Dantas. He cried out of sheer joy with new responsibility, on the news of his son's birth.

29. On April 20, 2017, Times Magazine has included the Brazilian soccer star in the list 100 most influential people.

30. He is rated by 'SportsPro' as the most marketable athlete in the world with his own logo created by advertising agency 'Loducca.' His net worth is around $90 million.

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