• Faith: Christian
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  February 05, 1992

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (commonly known as "Neymar") is a Brazilian professional soccer player. He currently plays for Santos in the Brazilian Serie A and for the Brazilian national team. He was recently named to the Brazilian squad for the 2026 World Cup, though he has been battling injuries that have limited his playing time.

Neymar began his professional career with Santos, joining its junior team in 2003. He began earning a significant salary at 15 and signed his first full professional contract with Santos at 17. He played for Santos for four full seasons. Neymar appeared in 225 games across all competitions in his first stint at Santos and scored 136 goals.

In 2013, Neymar joined Spanish giant Barcelona on a four-year contract. In 2014-15, his second season with Barcelona, Neymar was paired with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in one of the most powerful attacking fronts in soccer. That season, Barcelona won the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Neymar scored 39 goals in 51 total appearances for Barcelona that year. All told, in his four seasons at Barcelona, Neymar scored 105 goals and added 76 assists in 186 games in all competitions.

Following the 2016-17 season, Neymar left Barcelona and signed with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) of the top French league. Leaving Barcelona allowed him to be the top player on his team, unlike Messi, who was not the top player at Barcelona. Ironically, Messi would later join Neymar at PSG as the club continued its quest for its first UEFA Champions League title. Although PSG had great domestic success during Neymar's tenure, it did not win the elusive Champions League title.

Neymar's departure from Barcelona in 2017 remains a landmark controversy, driven by the abrupt execution of his world-record release clause to join PSG. Likewise, his subsequent split from Paris was heavily fractured; he openly sought a return to Catalonia, but the clubs failed to reach a financial agreement. Eventually, Neymar transferred to Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal in August 2023. However, severe long-term knee and hamstring injuries completely derailed his time in Riyadh, limiting him to just 7 total appearances. In January 2025, he reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract early, paving the way for an emotional return to his boyhood club, Santos, in Brazil. Though a late-season calf injury hindered his immediate runway, he successfully secured a spot in Brazil's squad for the 2026 World Cup, fighting to regain full fitness for the tournament's critical stages.

Neymar has had great success in international competition. He is Brazil's all-time leading scorer in international play, with 79 goals in 128 appearances. However, a World Cup title has escaped him. Although he is part of Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad, his availability is in question due to injuries.

Neymar has consistently and publicly put his Christian faith at the forefront of his career, famously popularizing the motivational mantra, '1% chance, 99% faith.' Throughout his most iconic professional triumphs—including the 2015 Champions League final and the 2016 Olympic gold medal ceremony—he celebrated on the pitch wearing his signature '100% Jesus' headband. Mirroring his public expressions of devotion, Neymar quietly contributes regular financial tithes to his childhood home church in Brazil. Through his Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr., he also funds massive grassroots fundraising and structural initiatives designed to provide health care, education, and social relief to impoverished families in underprivileged communities.

As one of the most successful and most famous soccer players in the world, Neymar has often used his platform to proclaim his faith in Jesus. At the same time, there will always be those who look for things to criticize – as with almost any famous person – Neymar has continued to profess his faith in Christ and to find ways to put that faith into practice.