The Football Mania in Russia World Cup if fever pitch, and guys, we know you just can’t get enough of it.
From Googling up the top players this season to the order of the matches, we sure know the keywords to your search.
To add more fuel to this mania, we are digging up all the dope and lesser-known facts about your favourite player Neymar aka Neymar da Silva Santos Junior. So here you go!
1. Neymar inherited his father’s name Neymar da Silva Santos, who is also a former football player and currently acts as his advisor.
2. Neymar grew up playing street pickup games in Sao Paulo, Brazil and began his career by playing for Santos’ junior team at the age of 11 years.
3. When he was just 14-years-old, Neymar flew to Spain to join Real Madrid. He passed all the tests and was ready to officially move, but at the last minute, Santos paid him a hefty sum to play for Brazil.
4. He fathered a child at the age of 19 and named his son, Davvi Luca, however, he did not reveal the identity of the child’s mother in order to protect her. Rumours suggest it is his former girlfriend Carolina Dantas.
5. Neymar was named the most marketable athlete in the world by SportsPro magazine in 2012 and 2013, beating the likes of Usain Bolt, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi.
6. Last year in August, Neymar triggered his release clause at Barcelona, to make way for Paris Saint-Germain on a contract that will get over only in 2022. Reportedly, he is said to earn an annual salary of $53 million, making him the highest paid footballer in the world.
7. Neymar is known for passionately promoting Brazilain pop music and has appeared in a number of music videos. He has also made surprise stage appearances at Brazilian concerts, much to the delight of his young fans. Recently, he even appeared as himself in ‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage.’
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