The game of football has produced many stars who in turn wrote their names in the sands of time. Among them is the Brazilian football legend Neymar Jr who is currently making the waves in the French league. The superstar has won several awards and has played at the apex of the world football. Just like his wonderful career, he has won the hearts of so many ladies. Read on as we take a sneak peek at his bio, career, family, body measurements and other lesser-known but interesting facts below.
Who is Neymar Jr and How Old is He?
The mega superstar is a Brazilian professional football forward currently playing for the French club named Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He started his career at a very young age with the Brazilian club Santos and has played for the top clubs in Europe. Based on his outstanding pattern of play, he won the World Soccer Youngest Player of the Year Award in 2011. Additionally, he won the UEFA Champions League with the Spanish side Barcelona in 2015. He was also part of the Brazilian team that won the Gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.
He was born as Neymar da Silva Santos Junior in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil on February 5, 1992. Neymar was born to a former football star Neymar Santos Sr and his wife Nadine Santos. At 11, he started his football career with the youth club called Portuguesa Santista in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Later on, he moved with his family to Santo where he met the likes of Robinho, Pele, and Pepe in the Santos Football Academy. The academy has produced many professional football stars such as Coutinho, Diego, and Alex among others. Neymar’s exceptional football prowess distinguished him in the academy, thus placing him in the Santos first team.
Professional Career
The fast-rising star moved to Spain at the age of fourteen joining the Real Madrid Youth team. At the time, he met the likes of David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane in the club. He made his professional debut for his club Santos in 2009, helping the club to clinch a win over Oeste. Neymar finished the season scoring 14 goals in 48 gameplays. The following season, he helped his club to win the championship title and was awarded the best player of the competition. He finished the season with 14 goals in 19 matches.
After ten years of proactive performance at Santos FC, Neymar signed a five-year contract with Spanish club Barcelona FC in May 2013. He made his first appearance for Barcelona during the 2013/14 La Liga season, coming in as a substitute for Alexis Sanchez in the club’s 7-0 win over Levante. The next season, he helped the Spanish side to win the Spanish League title as well as the UEFA Champions League trophy. He finished the season with a total of 39 goals in all competitions making him a joint-highest goal scorer alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Alongside Messi, Iniesta, and Suarez, Neymar Jr clinched the second La Liga titled in the 2015/16 season. In his final season at Barcelona, he scored his 105th goal and made his 177th appearance for the Spanish side in their 3-1 defeat over Vicente Calderon. While at Barcelona, he also won the Copa Del Rey for three consecutive times from 2014 to 2016 as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in 2015. Neymar left the Spanish side after the 2016/17 season and signed up with French club Paris Saint-Germain with a five-year deal worth £222 million. His whopping contract deal made him the world’s most expensive player.
During the 2017/18 season, Neymar helped the French side to finish at the top of the league table, winning the Ligue 1 title as well as the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue championships.
Does Neymar Have a Sister?
Neymar Jr came from a very loving and supportive family; he grew up along with his younger sister named Rafaella Beckran. Rafaella is a Brazilian model and she was born in Brazil on March 11, 1996. For the intense love she has for the football legend David Beckham, Rafaella changed her last name from ‘Da Silva Santos’ to Beckran. She garnered fame following her appearance alongside her brother on the 2014 World Cup Beats commercial.
Notwithstanding the fact that she is a sister to a superstar, she never depended on her brother’s fame; rather she has made a name for herself through her modelling career. Rafaella works as a model for her family’s fashion line called Elleven Wear and she is equally a social media idol, having over four million followers on Instagram. The affinity she shares with Neymar is quite enormous such that it has raised many eyebrows from the part of his fans who thought they are practising incest. In 2015, Neymar shared a picture of him having his sister’s face tattooed on his right arm. Similarly, Beckran also got a matching tattoo of Neymar’s eyes on her back.
Does He Have A Girlfriend or Wife?
Despite having a blossoming football career, Neymar isn’t so successful in his love life. Football stars are often characterized by their inability to be with one woman and Neymar Jr is indifferent. He has been in several relationships with over eighteen ladies to date and also had a baby boy with his former girlfriend named Carolina Dantas. The two lovebirds had a brief relationship in 2010 and after their separation; Dantas discovered she was pregnant with Neymar’s child. She gave birth to a son who they named David Lucca on August 24, 2011. Although Neymar and Dantas are not together, they both share equal custody of their son David.
Neymar’s longest relationship is with the Brazilian soap star named Bruna Marquezin. The duo began their relationship since 2012. Due to the level of bond they shared, there was a clear indication that they would cleave to each other, nevertheless, the reverse seems to be the case. The couple went their separate ways in 2017 after five years of blissful relationship. They separated after their holiday to South Africa in June 2017. The issues that led to their separation have not been disclosed by both parties. The megastar was so devastated by the split and is struggling to cope while Bruna, on the other hand, is coping just fine.
Apparently, Neymar is currently single and doesn’t have a wife yet. He might have been in another relationship but it hasn’t seen the light of the day.
His Height, Weight, and Body Measurements
The multi-talented football star is a very handsome dude and has an impeccable personality. He is very tall, standing at 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 68 kg (150 pounds). In addition to that, Neymar Jr has a masculine bodybuild with body measurements (chest-waist-biceps) of 41-33-15 inches. His feet/shoe size is 8.5 (US), 8 (UK), and 41 (EU). His eyes are brown while his hair is light brown.
