Brazil’s poster boy and FC Barcelona winger Neymar is one of the most sought-after footballers in the world. He is often considered the next Pele, not just due to the typical Brazilian flair he brings to the game but also due to his Santos roots – the club where Pele spent a major part of his career.
The world sat up and took note of Neymar at a young age when he won the South American Player of the Year award in 2011. He was targetted by all the major European clubs before Barcelona secured his services in a highly publicised and controversial transfer in 2013 which ensured more media scrutiny and fanfare for the young Brazilian.
His performances for Barcelona, where he formed a lethal attack with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez (famously dubbed the ‘MSN’), also boosted his star value. With the club going on to win a famous treble in 2015, Neymar cemented his status as an absolute superstar.
He is nothing short of a national hero in Brazil, having amassed a stunning 75 caps for the senior national team at the tender age of 25.
He is already one of the biggest earners in football and on that note, let us see how much he earns and what his net worth is.
Also read: Top 20 richest footballers in the world
Earnings from football (Neymar’s Salary & Winnings):
Neymar earned himself a new 5-year contract in 2016 which sees him extend his stay at Camp Nou till 2021. Reluctant to lose one of the best players in the world currently, Barcelona’s new contract for the Brazilian amounts to an eye-popping $290,000-per-week or $14.9 million annually.
He has had phenomenal success with the Catalans in recent years – winning two La Liga titles, a Champions League and two Copa del Reys among various other trophies.
His earnings from football alone add up to $14.5 million as of now. Naturally, his winnings are considerable and he is only 25 years old. Judging by his footballing skills and the fact he plays for a top team with quality players, the Brazilian has a lot more trophy-laden years ahead of him and a lot more time to amass wealth.
Also, in a few years down the line, Neymar is assured of fatter paychecks, either at Barcelona or another rich club, owing to his standing in the footballing pyramid.
Also read: Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s salary and endorsements
Earnings from endorsements:
Not only is he a top footballer, he is also a highly marketable athlete. Being young, he will be prominent in the footballing scene for quite some time which boosts his desirability quotient. Also working for him is the fact that he plays for a huge club and is a national hero in a football-mad country.
Understandably, big corporates were after him ever since he started attracting attention with his phenomenal talent. In 2011, Neymar signed a lucrative 11-year contract with US sportswear giant Nike at the tender age of 19. Astonishingly, Panasonic paid a ‘simple’ sum of $2.4 million in the same year to secure his services for two years.
His earnings from endorsements were considerable even before his move to Barcelona, so much so that the prestigious France Football magazine placed him 13th on the list of world’s richest players in 2012!
He also has sponsorship agreements with automobile giants Volkswagen, Unilever and Santander (Spanish banking group). Some of the Brazilian brands he endorses are ‘Tenys Pe Baruel’, Ambev (Brazilian beverage) and Mexican telecom giants, Claro. He also starred in an advertisement for electronics giants ‘Beats’ along with Thierry Henry and Luis Suarez in 2014.
Neymar has also developed his own personal brand logo in collaboration with an advertising agency, which features the letters N.J and R (In reference to Neymar Junior) with the N styled to resemble his No. 11 shirt at Barcelona.
In 2013, the Brazilian was rated by SportsPro magazine as the most marketable athlete in the world – ahead of even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Putting this fact into perspective is the fact that Neymar’s earnings from endorsements constitute a mind-blowing 61% of his net worth. In fact, he is the only active football player who makes more money off the pitch than on it.
His earnings from endorsements total up to almost $23 million, which pushes Neymar’s net worth to $37.5 million – all at the age of 25!!
Charity work:
Neymar, for all the fanfare surrounding him, is very religious and donates 10% of his income to his church. He also organised a charity match with fellow Brazilian footballer Nene in the latter’s hometown of Jundiai, with the proceeds used to raise food for the needy and poor.
