As one of the best soccer players in the world, it only makes sense that Neymar’s net worth reflects his status in the game. Today, the professional footballer’s salary puts him among the highest-paid athletes around the globe—but how much is Neymar worth, exactly?
Neymar, whose full name is Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil. His father, Neymar Santos Sr., is a former footballer himself who quickly became his son’s mentor after witnessing his budding potential for the sport. From a young age, Neymar Jr. was coached in soccer. At the age of 11, his family moved to So Vicente, Brazil, so that he could join the youth team Portuguesa Santista. In 2003, they moved once again to Santos, Brazil, where he became a member of Santos FC to receive training with the Santos youth program. It was here that Neymar began his career, following in the footsteps of footballers like Pepe, Pelé and Robinho who all got their start at Santos.
At the age of 14, Neymar traveled to Spain for tryouts with Real Madrid’s youth team at a time when Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Robinho all played for Real Madrid. But he didn’t end up signing with the team, as Neymar’s father decided to keep his son in Brazil to allow the young prodigy to experience a normal childhood before his career took him around the world. Instead, Neymar went on to make his professional debut with Santos FC in 2009. He quickly became one of the team’s most valued players, eventually helping them win the Copa Libertadores in 2011. The win marked their first victory since 1963, when Brazilian star Pelé was playing for the club.
Image: Courtesy of Netflix.
During his tenure with Santos, Neymar was twice crowned South American Footballer of the Year, named World Soccer Young Player of the Year and awarded the FIFA Puskas award for the goal of the year. Though he was courted by some of Europe’s top teams, Neymar ultimately chose to stay at Santos FC as the team offered him a higher salary to retain him until 2013. He made the move to Barcelona FC that year. While playing for Barcelona, Neymar accomplished a great deal and became a member of the famed offensive trio MSN, which included Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and himself. The three finished the 2014-2015 season off with a record-breaking shared total of 122 goals—a record still held by them to this day.
In 2017, Neymar moved to the French team Paris Saint-Germain. His contract—which you can read more about below—made him the most expensive player in history at the time. In Paris, Neymar has won three league titles, three Coupe de France and two Coupe de la Ligue. With Neymar on their side, the team also claimed a domestic treble in 2017-2018 and a domestic quadruple in the 2019-2020 season, leading PSG to their first Champions League Final at the end of the season.
Neymar’s professional football career also includes successes as a member of the Brazilian National Team. When he was only 18 years old, he was picked for Brazil’s senior team for the first time, playing his debut match in a game against the United States. Since then, he has competed for Brazil at a number of international events, including the 2011 South American Youth Championship, the 2013 Confederations Cup, three Copa America tournaments in 2011, 2015 and 2019, 2011, two Summer Olympics in 2012 and 2016, along with two World Cups in 2014 and 2018, among others. So what is Neymar’s net worth? Read on for what we know about how much Neymar’s net worth is and what he makes.
What is Neymar’s salary?
As of 2022, Neymar’s salary is an estimated $78 million per year, according to Celebrity Net Worth. This is a $2 million bump from 2021, when Forbes reported that Neymar’s salary was $76 million. The pro footballer signed his current contract with Paris Saint-Germain in May 2021, which extends his tenure with the team until summer 2025. According to Forbes, the contract is filled with potential performance bonuses, including a “massive” pay bump if he leads PSG to a win at the Champions League.
Neymar’s contract with PSG began in 2017, when he transferred from Barcelona FC for a whopping $263 million. The transfer—which was paid in full by the French club ahead of his signing—still marks the most expensive transfer in soccer history. With his initial signing deal, Neymar earned a record-breaking $1.02 million per week, totaling around $53 million in annual earnings from the team alone.
Of course, Neymar’s salary is also comprised of some highly lucrative endorsement deals. According to Forbes, the star player earns a whopping $19 million from sponsorship and endorsements with brands like Epic Games, Flutter Entertainment, Puma, Qatar Airways, Red Bull and Triller, among others.
Looking at Neymar’s salary today, it’s clear that the Brazilian player has come a long way since his days at Santos FC. His first major deal was a comparatively meager $1.7 million with Santos—but for being 17 years old at the time, it was nothing to complain about. A year later, the team offered Neymar a $20 million binding contract. He turned down the offer in favor of a more flexible $4 million contract with the team, one which would allow him to continue considering his prospects beyond Brazil. This decision paid off: In 2013, Neymar signed to Barcelona for a reported $119 million, earning him a salary of around $15 million at the time.
What is Neymar’s net worth?
Now that we know his salary, only one question remains: what is Neymar’s net worth? According to Celebrity Net Worth, Neymar’s net worth is $200 million as of 2022. Neymar’s net worth was amassed thanks to his impressive salaries and contracts throughout the years, including his $119 million signing deal with Barcelona FC in 2013, his record-shattering $263 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and his many endorsements. Altogether, these earnings allow for Neymar’s salary to total an estimated $78 million as of 2022. According to Forbes, Neymar made $55 million on the football field and $32 million off the field in 2022.
In an interview with Redbull in 2022, Neymar recalled his first-ever goal as a professional football player. “My memory of my first goal for the national team is of kneeling down and thanking God for all that had happened in my life. It all happened super-fast and it was one of the most wonderful things that happened in my life… a goal in my first game for the team,” he said.
Neymar also opened up about what it’s like to play with Lionel Messi in Paris Saint-Germain and his other favorite team mates. “I’m very happy, very satisfied having Messi at Paris Saint-Germain. Not only is he a football idol, a top player and a genius, he’s also my friend. And when you have friends by your side, your daily life is lighter and quieter. We hope to make history together just like we did at Barcelona,” he said. When asked about which team mates excite him the most, Neymar responded, “I would say two: [Kylian] Mbappé and [Marco] Verratti. Mbappé is really quick, young, a great player. And the other one that surprised me was Verratti. I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was as good as he is, as genius as he is. Today, I can firmly say that he’s one of the best midfielders I have played with, alongside Xavi and Iniesta.”
Neymar also named Pele, another Brazilian football legend, as his idol. “Pelé means football. Ever since I understood what football was, I always heard the name of Pelé. If someone on the street, on a field or at school would dribble past three players and scored a goal, someone would always say, “you scored a goal like Pelé,’” he said. “Or when you had someone at school acting up and thinking they were the best, we would say, ‘Do you think you’re Pelé?’These type of expressions I’ve been hearing since I was a child. Pelé to me is the king of football, the biggest idol in Brazil. I have a huge amount of respect for him and for everything he did for our football and country. If Brazil is nowadays world-famous for football, it’s because of him. We are really blessed that Pelé was born in Brazil.”
Neymar also told the brand at the time about what it would be like to win the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. “It would be incredible. I came to Paris Saint-Germain with the goal of raising the Champions League trophy. I’ve been trying that since 2017,” he said. “Today our team has some new additions, players of a lot of quality were brought in and we’re still adapting to each other. The moment we’re used to each other, we’ll be very strong collectively and, individually, I don’t think I need to say anything. It would be incredible, wonderful to do together with Paris Saint-Germain what we did in Barcelona.”
Image: Courtesy of Arena Sport.
For more about Neymar, read his 2001 memoir, Neymar: My Story: Conversations With My Father. The autobiography, which includes interviews between Neymar and his father Neymar Sr. and takes readers through the Brazilian football player’s legendary sports career—from when he was scouted by Santos FC (the same club that gave Pelé his start) when he was 11 years old, to when he made his professional debut at 17 years old. The book also explains how Neymar wouldn’t be the extraordinary football player he is today without his father, Neymar Sr., who has nurtured, developed and managed him throughout his career. Neymar My Story is described as a “beautiful and touching story” between a father and son and reveals what it was like to raise one of the greatest football players in history.
Neymar: The Perfect Chaos is available to stream on Netflix.
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