Neymar Jr.'s Biography: from Santos to the 2026 World Cup

Neymar Jr. closed his fourth World Cup in 2026 with a penalty in added time against Norway, in Brazil's elimination in the round of sixteen. At 34, Brazil's all-time top scorer is a Santos player, the club where it all started, and he is recovering from a muscle injury. Here we review his story, his career, his numbers and what is known about his present.

Who is Neymar Jr.?

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is a Brazilian footballer born on February 5, 1992 in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo. He plays as a forward and he is the all-time top scorer in the history of the Brazilian national team. He won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and the Olympic gold in 2016. In October 2026 he is still at Santos, with a contract until December 31.

Neymar Jr.'s personal details

Field: Detail

Full name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior

Date of birth: February 5, 1992

Place of birth: Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil

Age (October 2026): 34 years old

Nationality: Brazilian

Occupation: Professional footballer

Position: Forward / winger

Current team: Santos FC (contract until December 31, 2026)

National team: Brazil (he said goodbye after the 2026 World Cup)

Neymar's childhood and early years

Neymar was born in Mogi das Cruzes, in the state of São Paulo, and his football life was tied early on to Santos. He made his professional debut with the first team on March 7, 2009, at 17, coming off the bench in a 2-1 win against Oeste, and he soon became a young prospect of Brazilian football.

Brazil already had a reputation for producing stars, but in Neymar there was something different: dribbling, confidence and a taste for the street gesture that contrasted with increasingly physical football. That mixture made him a national figure before he turned 20.

Neymar's professional career

Santos (2009-2013)

In 2011 he won the Copa Libertadores with Santos: the club beat Peñarol 2-1 in the second leg of the final and Neymar was chosen best player of the tournament. That same year he received FIFA's Puskás Award for a goal of great dribbling against Flamengo, and he was chosen South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012, in the vote of the Uruguayan newspaper El País.

Barcelona (2013-2017)

He signed for Barcelona on June 3, 2013, from Santos. There he formed with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez the front three known as MSN, which in 2014/15 added 122 goals across all competitions, a record for an attack in Spanish football. That year Barcelona won the treble and Neymar scored in the Champions League final in Berlin, where it beat Juventus 3-1. With the club he also won two league titles (2015 and 2016). In March 2017 he scored two goals and provided the assist for the sixth in the 6-1 comeback against PSG, after losing the first leg 4-0.

PSG (2017-2023)

On August 3, 2017 he signed for Paris Saint-Germain for 222 million euros, a world record transfer, after the club activated his release clause. In Paris he won five Ligue 1 titles (2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22 and 2022/23) and he was a Champions League finalist in 2020, lost 1-0 against Bayern Munich. There he shared a dressing room with Kylian Mbappé.

Al-Hilal (2023-2025) and the return to Santos

In August 2023 he left for Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia. In October 2023, playing with Brazil against Uruguay, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and the meniscus of his left knee, as the Brazilian federation (CBF) confirmed, and he was operated on. In January 2025 he returned to Santos. On January 6, 2026 he renewed until December 31, 2026, according to ESPN, which also reported that he had undergone minor knee surgery in December.

Milestones of his career

• 2009: he debuts with Santos's first team.
• 2011: he wins the Copa Libertadores with Santos.
• 2013: he joins Barcelona.
• 2015: he wins the Champions League with Barcelona.
• 2016: Olympic gold medal with Brazil.
• 2017: he arrives at PSG.
• 2021: Copa América runner-up with Brazil.
• 2023: he signs for Al-Hilal.
• 2025: he returns to Santos.

Neymar with the Brazilian national team

Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, with 80 goals in 130 matches at the time of his retirement in 2026. He passed Pelé's mark in September 2023, with 79 goals in 125 matches according to FIFA. The CBF counts Pelé's goals differently, so his record refers to FIFA's count. He played four World Cups in a row: 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026. With the Canarinha he won the Olympic gold in Rio 2016 and he was runner-up at the Copa América 2021, lost 1-0 against Messi's Argentina.

The 2016 gold was Brazil's first in men's Olympic football. In the final, played at the Maracanã against Germany, Neymar opened the scoring with a free kick in the first half and scored the decisive penalty in the shoot-out (5-4, after 1-1). Before that he had won the 2013 Confederations Cup, a tournament in which he was chosen best player, and the Olympic silver of 2012, with the final lost 2-1 against Mexico. At the Copa América 2019 he could not play because a ligament injury to his right ankle, suffered in a friendly against Qatar, ruled him out.

Style of play

Neymar stood out for his dribbling, his technique, his agility, his passing and his finishing.

His presence in 2026 was in doubt: his last match with Brazil dated from October 17, 2023, when he suffered a knee injury. Carlo Ancelotti included him in the final list of 26 players, announced on May 18, despite a muscle injury in his right calf suffered on May 17.

Neymar at the 2026 World Cup

Neymar missed the first two group stage matches because of the muscle injury. He returned against Scotland (a Brazil thrashing on the third matchday of Group C, in Miami), where he came on in the 76th minute after almost three years without playing for the national team. In the round of sixteen, Brazil lost 2-1 against Norway at the MetLife Stadium with two goals from Erling Haaland. Neymar came on in the 68th minute, at 0-0, and scored from the penalty spot in added time. With the final whistle he broke down in tears on the pitch and announced his farewell to the national team.

Neymar's personal life

At Famosix we avoid speculation about his private life and we stick to verifiable facts. On the sporting side, injuries have conditioned his recent years: the cruciate ligament tear of 2023, a minor knee surgery in December 2025 and the muscle injury of September 2026.

Fun facts about Neymar

• He made his professional debut with Santos in 2009.
• He played four World Cups in a row: 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
• His penalty against Norway came in added time and did not prevent the elimination.

Neymar in 2026

After the elimination at the World Cup, Neymar announced his farewell to the national team and reaffirmed it on July 29, 2026, after a 4-2 Santos win against UCV in the Copa Sudamericana. In July, the press reported that he would see out his contract with Santos until December.

On September 4, 2026, Santos announced that Neymar has a grade 2B muscle injury (partial tear) in the rectus femoris of his right thigh, suffered against Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil, a tournament from which Santos was eliminated. The initial forecasts of the Brazilian press spoke of six to eight weeks out, with no confirmed return date.

On October 6, 2026, ESPN reported that Santos had opened talks with the player's representatives to extend the contract to 2027, and that Neymar had indicated that he wants to stay at the club. According to the same report, the renewal depends on the club's elections and on its financial situation. There is no announced agreement.

At Famosix we will keep updating this biography with every development about his continuity. If you are interested in football, you can also read the biography of Lionel Messi, his former teammate at Barcelona, that of Vinícius Júnior, a current figure of Brazilian football, or that of Kylian Mbappé, with whom he overlapped at PSG. If you want to compare other football figures, read also the biography of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Conclusion

Neymar is a rare case: enormous talent, weighty titles and a career marked by injuries and excessive expectations. He says goodbye to the World Cups with a goal and a record with Brazil that will take a long time to fall. We will follow his spell at Santos.

Sources consulted

• ESPN: Neymar renueva con el Santos hasta fin de 2026
• SportsCafe (con información de ESPN): Neymar podría seguir en el Santos más allá de 2026
• The Canadian Press (CP24): Neymar dice que su etapa en Brasil terminó
• beIN Sports: Neymar anuncia su retirada de Brasil (5-jul-2026)
• beIN Sports: Neymar reafirma su retirada de Brasil
• OneFootball: Neymar cumplirá su contrato con el Santos hasta diciembre
• DGABC: Neymar tiene lesión en el muslo tras los exámenes
• Globo Esporte (vía TV Foco): previsión de regreso de Neymar
• Sky Sports: Brasil 1-2 Noruega, crónica
• Crónica: Ancelotti anuncia la convocatoria de Brasil
• Expreso: Neymar volvió con goleada ante Escocia
• Al Jazeera: Neymar supera el récord de goles de Pelé con Brasil
• Bloomberg: Neymar firma cinco años con el PSG en un traspaso récord
• PSG: agradecimiento a Neymar Jr.
• Ligue 1: PSG-Bayern, final de la Champions 2020
• UEFA: Barcelona vence a la Juventus en la final de Berlín
• RFEF: crónica de la remontada 6-1 del Barcelona
• Sports Illustrated: Neymar pasa el reconocimiento y ficha por el Barcelona
• FIFA: ganadores del Premio Puskás
• ESPN: final de la Libertadores 2011, Santos-Peñarol
• FIFA: el penal dorado de Neymar (Río 2016)
• Eurosport: Neymar gana el oro para Brasil (Río 2016)
• Sky Sports: Neymar se pierde la Copa América 2019
• Al Jazeera: Neymar, operación por rotura de ligamento cruzado y menisco
• Gulf News: Argentina vence a Brasil en la final de la Copa América 2021
• Al Jazeera: Brasil gana la Copa Confederaciones 2013
• Ahram Online: México vence a Brasil en la final de Londres 2012
• Laureus: FC Barcelona 2015, el tridente MSN
• Soccerway: las estrenos de Neymar en clubes y selección
• Financial Times Sri Lanka (ft.lk): Neymar, mejor jugador de Sudamérica