Sports

Neymar

Futsal courts in São Paulo's suburbs; the world-record transfer a decade later.

Born: 1992 · Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
Roots: Brazilian; of mixed descent
Family: Working class; His ex-footballer father managed his career from childhood; early years in a shared house where the power was sometimes cut.
Education: Left regular schooling early for Santos' academy
Started with: Futsal courts; Played futsal in the São Paulo suburbs; Santos signed him at 11.
Affiliations & societies: None documented.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

2003 · age 11
Santos academy
Scouted from futsal — the same club pathway as Pelé.
2009 · age 17
Professional debut
2011 · age 19
Puskás Award
For the year's best goal; European clubs circle for two more years.
2013 · age 21
Barcelona€57M+
Forms the MSN front line with Messi and Suárez.
2016 · age 24
Olympic gold
Captains Brazil to its first Olympic football title, in Rio.
2017 · age 25
World-record transfer€222M
PSG triggers his release clause.
2023 · age 31
Passes Pelé
Becomes Brazil's all-time top scorer, then moves to Al-Hilal.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.