Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (Portuguese pronunciation: [nejˈmaɾ dɐ ˈsiɫvɐ sɐ̃tus ˈʒunioɾ]; born 5 February 1992), commonly known mononymously as Neymar, is a Brazilian footballer who plays in the Brasileirão Série A for Santos and the Brazilian national football team, mainly as a forward.
At the age of 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award, by a record margin, after previous coming third in 2010.[2] Neymar received nominations for the FIFA Ballon d'Or and FIFA Puskás Award in 2011, where he came 10th for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or award and won the 2011 FIFA Puskás Award.[3] He is known for his acceleration, speed, dribbling, technical ability and finishing. His playing style has earned him critical acclaim, with fans, media and former players drawing comparisons to Argentine forward Lionel Messi and Brazil legend Pelé, who has declared Neymar "an excellent player".[4] He has been described as "a genius with the ball at his feet, Neymar's pace, dribbling, passing, expert finishing and impeccable technique make him a fearsome opponent. His impressive awareness and match intelligence also mean he can operate wide or through the middle."[5]
Neymar joined Santos in 2003 and, after raising through the ranks, was promoted to their first team squad. He made his debut for Santos in 2009, in which he quickly made his breakthrough, becoming a first team regular and being voted the Best Young Player of the 2009 Campeonato Paulista. Further honours followed, with Neymar being voted best player as Santos won the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, and also being top scorer in the 2010 Copa do Brasil with 11 goals.
Neymar finished the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games as his club achieved the Double. Neymar was again voted best player of the year in 2011 as his side retained the league title, Santos also winning the 2011 Copa Libertadores in which Neymar scored 6 goals in 13 appearances, making him the best player of the competition. He also played a key role in securing a Continental Double for his team, Santos' first since 1963. He received the Bronze Ball in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, with Santos making it to the final, where they were defeated by Spanish club FC Barcelona, 4–0.[6][7]
Neymar is a Brazilian international, having represented Brazil at Under-17, Under-20 and senior levels. On 10 August 2010, at the age of 18, he made his debut for Seleção wearing the number 11 jersey, in a friendly match against the United States; he scored from a header in the 28th minute, contributing to Brazil's 2–0 win. He was the top scorer of the 2011 South American Youth Championship with nine goals, including two in the final, in the 6-0 win against Uruguay, thus enabling Brazil to win their 11th title in this competition. In 2012, SportsPro magazine rated Neymar as the most marketable athlete in the world, ahead of Lionel Messi.
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