Neymar

Neymar
Personal information
Full name Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior
Date of birth 5 February 1992 (1992-02-05) (age 20)
Place of birth Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) [1]
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club Santos
Number 11
Youth career
2003–2009 Santos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2009– Santos 85 (40)
National team‡
2009 Brazil U17 3 (1)
2011 Brazil U20 7 (9)
2010– Brazil 15 (8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 December 2011.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 October 2011

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), commonly known simply as Neymar (Portuguese pronunciation: [nejˈmaʁ]) or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Santos and the Brazilian national football team.

Contents

Club career

Santos

Born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Neymar joined Santos in 2003[2] and eventually made his first-team debut six years later aged 17 on 7 March 2009 in a 2–1 win against Oeste. He made another appearance the following week against Mogi Mirim, during which he scored his first goal for Santos. On 11 April, in the 2009 Campeonato Paulista semi-final first leg against Palmeiras, Neymar scored the decisive goal in a 2–1 win at Estádio Vila Belmiro.[3] In the final however Santos suffered a 4–2 aggregate defeat to Corinthians.[4]

On 15 April 2010, Neymar scored six goals for Santos in an 8–1 routing of Guarani in the round of 16 of the Brazilian Cup.[5] Following the 2010 Campeonato Paulista in which Neymar scored 14 goals in 19 games,[2] the club were crowned champions after a 5–5 aggregate win over Santo André in the finals.[6] Neymar was subsequently given the award for the best player in the competition.[7]

Neymar's performances for Santos have drawn comparisons to other Brazilians, including Robinho and Pelé.[8] In June 2010, Santos rejected a £12 million bid for him from English Premier League team West Ham United.[9] Neymar said he did not think it was time to leave Santos, and that he was entirely focused on his current club,[10] However, Renato Rodrigues insisted that he did not want to stay in Brazil.[11]

On 30 November 2010, Santos sold 5 percent shares on future transfer fees received to an investment group, Terceira Estrela Investimentos S.A. (TEISA), for R$ 3,549,900 (€1.5 million).[12] DIS Group (subsidiary of Sonda Group, a Brazil supermarket chain), investment partner of Santos in recent years, bought 40% sporting rights from Neymar's family in 2009.[13]

Neymar scored six goals during Santos run to the 2011 Copa Libertadores Finals, tying him for third top goalscorer,[14] including the clinching goal of Santos' 4-3 aggregate win over Cerro Porteño in the semifinals.[15] In the two-legged final, Santos faced Uruguayan side C.A. Peñarol and drew the first leg 0-0 in Montevideo.[16] At home in the second leg, Neymar opened the scoring in the 46th minute as Santos held on for a 2-1 win and Neymar won Man of the Match honours.[17][18] The win brought Santos their first Copa Libertadores triumph since 1963, when Brazilian legend Pelé was playing for the club. [19][20]

In September 2011, Santos president Luis Ribeiro threatened to report Real Madrid to FIFA following reports that they had attempted to sign Neymar to a pre-contract agreement, and denied that such an agreement was in place.[21]

On 9 November 2011, Neymar and Santos agreed to a contract extension that would see the player stay with the club until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The deal reportedly increased Neymar's wages by 50%, to the levels that top European clubs would be paying him.[22]

On Wednesday 14 December 2011, Neymar scored the opening goal for Santos as they defeated Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup at the Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, but failed to score against Barcelona in the final (18 December 2011), where Santos were defeated 4-0, and ultimately finished second in the competition.[23]

International career

Following Neymar's performances for Brazil's U-17 team at the 2009 U-17 World Cup in which he scored a goal in the opening match against Japan[24] former Brazilian football players Pelé and Romário reportedly urged coach Dunga to take Neymar to the 2010 World Cup.[10][25] Although the widespread opinion that Neymar deserved a place in Dunga's squad went as far as a 14,000 signature petition,[10][26] and despite the huge pressure on Dunga to pick Neymar,[27] he was omitted from both the squad of 23,[28][29] and the stand-by list.[30] Although Dunga described Neymar as "extremely talented", he claimed that he had not been tested sufficiently on the international level to earn a World Cup spot and he had failed to impress enough while on international duty.[31][32]

On 26 July 2010, Neymar was selected for the first time in the Brazil senior team by new head coach Mano Menezes for a friendly match against the United States to be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On 10 August 2010 he made his debut with the national team in that game, aged 18 years old, starting the match and wearing the number 11 jersey. He scored on his debut after 28 minutes, a header coming from an André Santos cross in a 2–0 win for Brazil.[33]

On 27 March 2011, he scored twice in a 2–0 win against Scotland at the Emirates Stadium.[34] During the match against Scotland, a banana was thrown onto the pitch after he scored from the penalty spot, which led Neymar to complain about 'constant jeering and an atmosphere of racism', implying that Scottish fans exhibited racism.[35][36] While Scottish officials explained that Neymar had been booed solely for perceived injury-feigning, a German student who was in the station amongst Brazil supporters said that he threw the banana with no racist intentions. This led to the Scottish Football Association asking the Brazilian Football Confederation for an apology for the accusations made to the Scottish fans.[37][38] Neymar refused to apologise or retract his words claiming he 'did not accuse any person or any group of supporters'.[39][40][41]

Neymar took part at the 2011 Copa América in Argentina, where he scored two goals in the first round game against Ecuador.

Statistics

Club

As of 18 December 2011.

Club Season Brasileirão Paulista Copa do Brasil Continental ¹ Club World Cup Friendlies Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Santos   2009 33 10 12 3 3 1 – – – – 1 0 49 14
2010 31 17 19 14 8 11 2 0 – – 3 1 63 43
2011 21 13 11 4 0 0 13 6 2 1 0 0 47 24
Total 85 40 42 21 11 12 15 6 2 1 4 1 159 81

International

As of 12 October 2011.

National team Club Season Apps Goals Assists
Brazil U17 Santos 2009 3 1 0
Brazil U20 Santos 2011 7 9 2
Brazil Santos 2010 2 1 0
2011 13 7 1
Total 15 8 1

Honours

Club

Santos

National team

Brazil

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Player Profile: Neymar". http://www.santosfc.com.br. http://www.santosfc.com.br/futebol/elenco/jogador.asp?i=2. 
  2. ^ a b "Atacantes – Neymar" (in Portuguese). Santos Futebol Clube. http://www.santosfc.com.br/futebol/elenco/jogador.asp?i=2. 
  3. ^ "Neymar dá vantagem ao Santos no duelo com Palmeiras" (in Portuguese). Terra. 11 April 2009. http://esportes.terra.com.br/futebol/estaduais/2009/interna/0,,OI3697654-EI12403,00-Neymar+da+vantagem+ao+Santos+no+duelo+com+Palmeiras.html. 
  4. ^ "Invicto, Corinthians segura Santos e é campeão paulista" (in Portuguese). Terra. 3 May 2009. http://esportes.terra.com.br/futebol/estaduais/2009/interna/0,,OI3741998-EI12403,00-Invicto+Corinthians+segura+Santos+e+e+campeao+paulista.html. 
  5. ^ "Neymar scores 5 goals, Robinho 2 in Santos' win". Taiwan News. 15 April 2010. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1228272&lang=eng_news&cate_img=145.jpg&cate_rss=news_Sports. 
  6. ^ "Santos take the Paulista – but only just.". Pitaco do Gringo. 3 May 2010. http://pitacodogringo.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/santos-take-the-paulista-%E2%80%93-but-only-just. 
  7. ^ "Meninos da Vila comandam a festa de encerramento do Paulistão 2010" (in Portuguese). GloboEsporte.com. 4 May 2010. http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/Noticias/Futebol/Campeonato_Paulista/0,,MUL1586454-9839,00.html. 
  8. ^ "Sky Sports Scout – Neymar". Sky Sports. 8 April 2010. http://www.skysports.com/football/transfers/scout/0,24035,15198_6067212,00.html. 
  9. ^ Gray, Ashley (1 July 2010). "West Ham have £12m bid for Brazilian wonderkid Neymar snubbed by Santos" (in English). Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1291031/West-Ham-12m-bid-Brazilian-wonderkid-Neymar-snubbed-Santos.html. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  10. ^ a b c "Brazilians want young striker Neymar in World Cup". Taiwan News. 15 April 2010. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1228480&lang=eng_news&cate_img=145.jpg&cate_rss=news_Sports. 
  11. ^ Chelsea continue Neymar chase Sky Sports, 15 August 2010
  12. ^ "NOTA OFICIAL: Santos FC esclarece relação com a Terceira Estrela Investimentos S.A." (in Portuguese). Santos FC. 2 December 2010. http://www.santosfc.com.br/noticias/conteudo.asp?id=23416. Retrieved 21 January 2011. 
  13. ^ "Parceiro do Peixe negocia compra de Neymar e garoto deve renovar vínculo" (in Portuguese). GloboEsporte. 18 February 2009. http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/Noticias/Times/Santos/0,,MUL1007192-9874,00.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011. 
  14. ^ Estadísticas Copa Santander Libertadores – Información de equipos al instante – Fox Deportes
  15. ^ Ficha del partido
  16. ^ Ficha del partido
  17. ^ Ficha del partido
  18. ^ Santos take home Copa Libertadores crown - Goal.com
  19. ^ Sturtridge, Tim (23 June 2011). The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/neymar-delivers-copa-libertadores-triumph-to-santos-2301529.html. 
  20. ^ Neymar helps Brazil's Santos wins Copa Libertadores - ESPN
  21. ^ "Santos president warns Real Madrid over Neymar deal". Mirror Football. 15 September, 2011. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Santos-president-Luis-Ribeiro-warns-Real-Madrid-over-Neymar-deal-article799457.html. Retrieved 2011-12-08. 
  22. ^ Neymar signs new contract with Santos - ESPN Soccernet
  23. ^ Report: Kashiwa Reysol v Santos FC - FIFA Club World Cup - ESPN Soccernet
  24. ^ "Brazil edge unlucky Japan". FIFA.com. http://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/matches/round=253807/match=300102244/summary.html. 
  25. ^ "Scouts flock to see Brazil's Neymar". Miami Herald. 18 April 2010. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/18/1584597/scouts-flock-to-see-brazils-neymar.html. 
  26. ^ "World Cup watch ... 37 days to go". The Guardian (UK). 4 May 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/04/world-cup-watch-37-days-to-go. 
  27. ^ "Brazil coach Dunga faces World Cup selection challenge". BBC Sport. 7 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8669086.stm. 
  28. ^ "Ronaldinho left out of Brazil World Cup squad". BBC Sport. 11 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8676077.stm. 
  29. ^ "Brazil's Dunga unfazed by critics". CNN. 18 May 2010. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/tim_vickery/05/14/brazil.roster/. 
  30. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur’s Sandro Ranieri on Brazil’s he was arrested in 2009 for drug dealing in LA World Cup2010 reserve list". Picato do Gringo. 11 May 2010. http://pitacodogringo.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/tottenham%E2%80%99s-sandro-ranieri-on-brazil%E2%80%99s-world-cup2010-reserve-list/. 
  31. ^ Gray, Ashley (17 May 2010). "Manchester City dilemma as Real Madrid enter race for Santos's brilliant Brazilian Paulo Henrique Ganso". The Daily Mail (UK). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1279085/Manchester-City-dilemma-Real-Madrid-enter-race-Santoss-brilliant-Brazilian-Paulo-Henrique-Ganso.html?ito=feeds-newsxml. 
  32. ^ "Ronaldinho misses Brazil cut". ESPN Soccernet. 11 May 2010. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/785217/ce/uk/?cc=5739&ver=global. 
  33. ^ "Neymar scores on Brazil debut". ESPN Soccernet. 11 August 2010. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=813452&sec=global&cc=5739. Retrieved 13 August 2010. 
  34. ^ "Scotland 0–2 Brazil". BBC Sport. 27 March 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/9431234.stm. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  35. ^ Murray, Ewan (27 March 2011). "Brazil's Neymar answers back after banana is thrown in Scotland match". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/27/neymar-racism-brazil-scotland. 
  36. ^ "Brazil-Scotland friendly marred by Neymar banana incident". BBC Sport. 27 March 2011. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/International-friendly-Scotland-0-2-Brazil-Neymar-complains-that-banana-was-thrown-at-him-article717728.html. Retrieved 29 March 2011. 
  37. ^ Murray, Ewan (29 March 2011). "German teenager admits throwing banana during Brazil v Scotland match". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/29/german-teenager-banana-brazil. 
  38. ^ "Scottish FA seeks apology from Brazil over racism claim". BBC Sport. 31 March 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/12925272.stm. Retrieved 31 March 2011. 
  39. ^ Murray, Ewan (31 March 2011). "Scottish FA demands apology from Brazil over claims of racism". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/31/scottish-fa-apology-brazil-racism-neymar. 
  40. ^ "Brazil's Neymar refuses to apologise to Scotland for racism claims". The Guardian (London). 1 April 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/01/brazil-neymar-scotland-racism-claims. 
  41. ^ Wilson, Mark (30 March 2011). "Tartan Army demand apology from Neymar after German fan admits to throwing banana". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1371178/Scotland-want-apology-German-admits-Neymar-banana.html. 

External links

Brazil squad – 2011 Copa América
Brazil squad – 2011 South American Youth Championship (11th Title)
Santos FC – current squad