Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar, began playing soccer at a young age in his hometown of Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, Brazil. His father, Neymar Santos Sr., was a former professional soccer player who helped guide his son's early development.

Neymar began his youth career at Portuguesa Santista, a small club in Sao Paulo, at the age of seven. He quickly caught the attention of scouts from larger clubs and eventually moved to Santos FC, one of the most successful clubs in Brazil, at the age of 11.

At Santos, Neymar continued to develop his skills and quickly rose through the ranks of the club's youth system. He made his professional debut for Santos in 2009, at the age of 17, and quickly became a key player for the team.

Neymar's breakout season came in 2010, when he helped Santos win the Campeonato Paulista (the top state-level competition in Sao Paulo) and the Copa do Brasil (the Brazilian cup competition). He also won the Golden Ball award for best player in the Campeonato Paulista.

In the following years, Neymar continued to impress with his skills on the field, helping Santos win the Copa Libertadores (the top club competition in South America) in 2011 and finishing as the tournament's top scorer. He also helped Santos win another Campeonato Paulista title in 2012.

Neymar's success at Santos caught the attention of some of the top clubs in Europe, and he eventually signed with FC Barcelona in 2013 for a fee of €57 million, becoming one of the most expensive transfers in history at the time.

Since then, Neymar has played for both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and has established himself as one of the best players in the world. He has won numerous individual awards, including the Ballon d'Or for best player in the world in 2015, and has helped his teams win numerous titles, including multiple La Liga titles with Barcelona and multiple Ligue 1 titles with PSG.