Neymar Facts

Lets take a look at some amazing Neymar facts. Hehad a great World Cup, where he scoredfour goals before getting injured in the quarterfinals. The youngster, who has achieved a lot at the young age of 22, has seen a lot over the years and there are loads of facts about him that a lot of people are unaware of.

#1 Neymar Was Almost Signed By Real Madrid

Neymar will be don the colours of Barcelona for a long time but did you know that he almost signed for their arch-rivals Real Madrid when he was 14? He impressed on trial and was ready to put pen to paper after a meeting with the clubs president Florentino Perez but his former club Santos shelled out a lot of money to keep him in his homeland for a bit longer. Barcelona stepped in, in 2013 and the rest is history.

#2 He Became a Dad at 19

While most of us are busy with college work at 19, that was the age Neymar became a father. His son’s name is Davvi Luca but the mother’s identity has not been revealed by the player for the sake of her privacy.

#3 West Ham United Wanted To Sign Him

Long before Manchester United and Chelsea became interested in the player another English club attempted to sign him. That club was West Ham United. The Hammers, who are famous for their youth academy, made a bit for him in 2010 which was unfortunately turned down by Santos. Looks like we’ll have to wait a while to see him play in the Premier League – if ever.

#4 He Could Have Played In The 2010 World Cup

We could have seen Neymar’s remarkable talent in the World Cup four years ago if it wasn’t for then Brazil coach Dunga who decided against including him in the squad. Over 14,000 fans signed a petition to urge Dunga to include the youngster which was backed by legendary Brazilian players Pele and Romario but the head coach decided against doing so.

#5 Neymar Is The first Brazilian Footballer To Appear On The Cover Of Time

The phenomenon’s picture graced the cover of the iconic Time magazine back in 2013. Legendary Brazilian players such as Pele and Ronaldo never appeared on the magazine, which has been around since 1923, during their careers but Neymar did. An incredible achievement indeed.

#6 He\'s a Devout Christian

A large part of the Brazilian population is Christian and Neymar is no different. The forward holds his religion very close to his heart and previously stated that Christ helped him remain down to earth in spite of achieving so much.

#7 Music Is Something He Loves

Like every other Brazilian, Neymar loves music. The 22-year-old listens to music a lot and is famous for making surprise appearances at concerts back in his homeland. A video of Neymar dancing to a popular Brazilian song in the Santos locker room became a rage on the internet.

#8 He\'s The Most Marketable Athlete In The World

Neymar is the most marketable athlete in the world according to SportsPro and endorses brands like Nike, Police sunglasses, Castrol, L’Oreal and even has his own brand called NJR. The income generated from these advertisements has made Neymar the seventh richest footballer in the world.

#9 His Fans Have Their Own Nickname

You’ve heard of some amazing footballer nicknames made up for them by their fans but have you heard of fans taking up an amazing nickname after their favourite footballer? That’s certainly the case with Neymar, whose fans called themselves Neymarzetes. Very quirky indeed!

#10 Hell Earn $74 Million In Wages Over The Next Four Years

The sensation is paid chunks of cash to turn out for Barcelona and by 2018 will have earned at least $74 million while playing for the Catalan outfit. Don’t be surprised if you see him laughing his way to the bank.

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Edited by Staff Editor