Neymar's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Neymar.

Neymar Júnior is a highly acclaimed Brazilian footballer, renowned for his exceptional dribbling, technical skill, playmaking, and goal-scoring abilities. He plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Santos and captains the Brazil national team. He is one of five players to score 100 goals for three different clubs. He holds records for the most goals and assists by a Brazilian player in the UEFA Champions League. Neymar is the second-highest South American goalscorer in international football and a former record holder for international assists. Having scored over 400 senior career goals and registered over 250 assists, he is widely considered among the greatest footballers of all time.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

2006: Kaká tops Champions League scoring list

In 2015, Neymar was the first player apart from Messi and Ronaldo to top the Champions League's scoring list, since compatriot Kaká in 2006–07.

December 2010: Third Place for South American Footballer of the Year

In December 2010, Neymar came third for the 2010 South American Footballer of the Year award.

2010: Continued Development and Campeonato Paulista Win

In 2010, Neymar continued his rapid development, scoring five goals in a match and leading Santos to win the Campeonato Paulista. He was also awarded the best player in the competition.

2010: Ballon d'Or nomination

Since 2010, Neymar had been nominated for the Ballon d'Or every year until 2019.

2011: FIFA Ballon d'Or Ranking

Early in 2012, Neymar, at 19 years old, finished 10th in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or rankings.

2011: Campeonato Paulista and Copa Libertadores Success

In 2011, Neymar scored crucial goals in the Campeonato Paulista and the Copa Libertadores, helping Santos clinch both titles. He also won Man of the Match honors in the Copa Libertadores final.

2011: IFFHS Award Runner-Up

In 2011, Neymar was runner-up for the IFFHS's CONMEBOL The Best Man Player of the Decade (2011–2020) award.

2011: Copa Libertadores Win

In 2011, Neymar won the Copa Libertadores with Santos, also scoring in the finals.

2011: South American Footballer of the Year Award

In 2011, Neymar won the South American Footballer of the Year award for the first time, by a record margin.

2011: CONMEBOL Award

In 2021, IFFHS ranked Neymar second place behind Messi for their CONMEBOL The Best Man Player of the Decade (2011–2020) award.

2012: Campeonato Paulista Finals and Copa Libertadores

In 2012, Neymar scored twice in both legs of the Campeonato Paulista Finals, leading Santos to victory. He was also joint top scorer in the Copa Libertadores.

2012: Pelé claims Neymar is the best player, Maradona responds

In 2012, Pelé claimed that Neymar was the best player in the world, a statement that Diego Maradona responded to by suggesting Neymar could only be considered the best if Messi was from another planet. Neymar himself stated Messi was above everyone and an inspiration, while Ronaldo considered Neymar a great talent and similar to Messi. Zico compared Neymar to Ronaldo or Messi. Neymar also expressed admiration for Messi after his own hat-trick and Messi's five goals in the Champions League in 2012.

February 2013: Appeared on the cover of Time magazine

In February 2013, Neymar appeared on the cover of Time magazine, marking the first time a Brazilian athlete had done so. The issue included an article entitled "The Next Pelé."

May 2013: Named most marketable athlete by SportsPro for second year

In May 2013, SportsPro magazine named Neymar as the most marketable athlete on the planet for the second consecutive year.

May 2013: Named most marketable athlete in the world by SportsPro magazine and launched Nike Hypervenom football boot.

In May 2013, SportsPro magazine named Neymar the most marketable athlete in the world, and he launched the Nike Hypervenom football boot.

2013: Golden Ball at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

In 2013, Neymar had stellar performances in the tournament, scoring in consecutive matches. He received the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament following Brazil's victory over Spain in the final. He also finished in 5th place for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or.

2013: Neymar's La Liga Debut and Supercopa de España Victory

In 2013, Neymar made his La Liga debut for Barcelona as a substitute in a 7–0 win against Levante. On August 21, 2013, he played in the Supercopa de España against Atlético Madrid, scoring a header to level the match in the first leg. Barcelona won the trophy due to Neymar's away goal.

2014: Champions League

Champions League 2014-15

2014: stellar 2014–15 season with Barcelona

Early in his career, particularly after his stellar 2014–15 season with Barcelona at 23 years old, he was unanimously expected to win the Ballon d'Or at some point in his career.

2014: Treble Win with Barcelona

In 2014, Neymar won La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League with Barcelona, finishing as top goalscorer of the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

March 2015: Fourth highest social media rank among sportspeople

In March 2015, Neymar had the fourth highest social media rank in the world among sportspeople, with 52 million Facebook fans.

2015: Barcelona wins league title and Copa del Rey

After Barcelona secured the league title on May 17, 2015, they defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–1 in the 2015 Copa del Rey Final on May 30, with Neymar scoring the second goal. His ball tricks during the final stages were deemed unsporting, but he did not apologize.

2015: Champions League

Champions League 2014-15

2015: Ballon d'Or Third Place

In 2015, Neymar finished third behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

2015: Neymar's goal-scoring streak and Ballon d'Or nomination

In 2015, Neymar scored four goals in Barcelona's 5–2 win over Rayo Vallecano on October 17, scored a notable goal against Villarreal on November 8, assisted in a 4-0 win against Real Madrid on November 21, and scored twice against Real Sociedad on November 28. By this time, he was praised as being on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo, and was shortlisted for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or, ultimately finishing third.

2015: Neymar scores in Champions League Final

On June 6, 2015, Neymar scored in the 3–1 Champions League Final victory against Juventus. Barcelona won its fifth European Cup and became the first club to twice win the treble of domestic league, domestic cup, and European Cup. Neymar became the eighth player to win both the Copa Libertadores and the UEFA Champions League, and the first to score in final victories in both competitions. He ended the season with 39 goals. Barcelona's attacking trio of Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, dubbed MSN, ended with 122 goals.

May 2016: Neymar scores in Copa del Rey Final

On May 22, 2016, Neymar scored in Barcelona's 2–0 Copa del Rey Final win over Sevilla. The front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar finished the season with 131 goals. Neymar scored over 30 goals for the second consecutive season, with 31 goals and 25 assists in 49 matches.

2016: Olympic Gold Medal

In 2016, Neymar captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men's football.

2016: Fourth most famous athlete in the world

In 2016, Neymar was ranked the fourth most famous athlete in the world by ESPN.

March 2017: Neymar stars in Barcelona's 6-1 victory over PSG

On 8 March 2017, Neymar played a pivotal role in Barcelona's historic 6-1 victory against PSG in the Champions League, known as 'La Remontada'. He scored a free-kick and a penalty, and assisted Sergi Roberto's winning goal in the 95th minute. Neymar was named man of the match and broke the record for most assists in a Champions League campaign with eight.

April 2017: Included in Time 100 list

In April 2017, Neymar was included in the Time 100, Time magazine's list of the most influential people in the world.

2017: Ballon d’Ors from 2017 onwards

Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe claimed that Neymar should have won all the Ballon d’Ors from 2017 onwards.

2017: Neymar finishes third in Ballon d'Or and FIFA's The Best awards

In 2017, Neymar finished in third place for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA's The Best Men's Player awards, behind Messi and Ronaldo. He was also ranked the third-best footballer in the world by The Guardian.

2017: Ballon d'Or Third Place

In 2017, Neymar finished third behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

2017: Neymar beats Ronaldinho's tally of 94 goals with Barcelona

In 2017, Neymar surpassed Ronaldinho's record of 94 goals for Barcelona by scoring his 95th goal in 169 matches. On April 2nd, he scored his 100th goal for Barcelona in a 4-1 win over Granada. He also scored his first away hat-trick for Barcelona in a 4-1 victory against Las Palmas. On May 27th, Neymar scored in the 2017 Copa del Rey Final as Barcelona defeated Alavés 3–1.

January 2018: Neymar scores four goals and assists two against Dijon

On 17 January 2018, Neymar delivered a remarkable performance, scoring four goals and providing two assists in PSG's 8-0 victory over Dijon. He received a 10 rating from L'Equipe, becoming only the second player to achieve this for a league match performance.

August 2018: PSG Matches and League Goal

In August 2018, Neymar played 15 minutes in PSG's 4–0 victory over Monaco in the Trophée des Champions. Later in August 2018, he scored PSG's opening league goal in a 3–0 win over Caen. He also scored from a penalty in a 3–1 win against Guingamp, and contributed a goal and an assist in a 3–1 win over Angers.

2018: France Football ranked Neymar as third highest paid footballer

In 2018, France Football ranked Neymar as the third-highest-paid footballer in the world, with a total income of €81.5m ($95m) for the year.

2019: Skipping Awards Ceremony

At the end of the 2018-2019 season, Neymar skipped Ligue 1's end-of-season awards ceremony to party with singer Rihanna, causing Mbappé to demand more responsibility within the PSG squad. Also In 2019, Neymar was not nominated for the Ballon d'Or due to injuries and off-field issues.

2019: Again ranked as the world's fourth most famous athlete

In 2019, ESPN again ranked Neymar as the world's fourth most famous athlete.

2019: Forbes ranked Neymar as third highest paid athlete

In 2019, Forbes ranked Neymar as the world's third-highest-paid athlete, with earnings of $105 million for the year.

2019: Best Brazilian Player Post-Pelé

In 2019, Neymar was named the best Brazilian player post-Pelé by the Brazilian monthly sports magazine Placar.

July 2020: Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue

On July 24, 2020, Neymar scored the lone goal in PSG's 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne in the Coupe de France Final. On July 31, 2020, PSG won the Coupe de la Ligue Final, completing a domestic treble with Neymar scoring in the penalty shootout.

October 2020: Hat-Trick Against Peru

On 13 October 2020, Neymar scored a hat-trick in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Peru, surpassing Ronaldo as Brazil's second-highest goalscorer of all time with his 64th international goal.

2020: Forbes ranked Neymar as fourth highest paid athlete

In 2020, Forbes ranked Neymar fourth among the world's highest-paid athletes, reporting his earnings at $95.5 million.

2020: UEFA Award Nominations

In 2020, Neymar was nominated for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award and was ranked third for the UEFA Forward of the Season. There was debate among journalists whether Neymar outshone Lewandowski as the best player of 2020.

2020: IFFHS Award Runner-Up

In 2020, Neymar was runner-up for the IFFHS's CONMEBOL The Best Man Player of the Decade (2011–2020) award.

2020: World’s Best Player

In 2021, for IFFHS’s World’s Best Player of the Decade (2011–2020) award, Neymar came in fourth place behind Messi, Ronaldo, and Iniesta.

January 2021: Trophée des Champions win

On 13 January 2021, Neymar scored the winning goal from a penalty, in a 2–1 win over rivals Marseille in the Trophée des Champions.

September 2021: Brazil's All-Time Top Scorer in FIFA World Cup Qualification Matches

On 9 September 2021, Neymar became Brazil's all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification matches, with a total of 12 goals after scoring in a 2–0 win over Peru.

2021: Forbes ranked Neymar as fourth highest paid athlete

In 2021, Forbes ranked Neymar fourth among the world's highest-paid athletes, reporting his earnings at $95 million.

2021: Ballon d'Or Nomination

Neymar was nominated for the 2021 Ballon d'Or, his ninth nomination, which is a record for a Brazilian player.

October 2022: Standout Player and Ballon d'Or contender

By early October 2022, Neymar was considered one of the stand-out players in Europe and back to his peak form, having scored 11 goals and providing 9 assists in just 13 games.

2022: Sportico named Neymar as fourth highest paid athlete of 2022

In 2022, Sportico named Neymar the fourth highest-paid athlete.

September 2023: Brazil's All-Time Top Goalscorer

On 8 September 2023, Neymar became Brazil's all-time top goalscorer, surpassing Pelé, after scoring twice in a 5–1 win over Bolivia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match. He finished the game with 79 goals in 125 appearances for Brazil.

2023: Forbes ranked Neymar as twelfth highest paid athlete

In 2023, Forbes ranked Neymar twelfth among the world's highest-paid athletes, reporting his earnings at $85 million.

2023: Ballon d'Or contender

In October 2022 it was said that Neymar would be one of the favorites to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or, alongside top performers Erling Haaland and Mbappé.

October 2024: Neymar returns to action and suffers hamstring injury in 2024

In October 2024, Neymar returned to action for Al Hilal against Al Ain, but suffered a hamstring injury a few weeks later. He was also named as one of three winners of the Player Career Award at the Globe Soccer Awards at the end of 2024.