Neymar: Inspirational Profile

In celebration of Neymar’s birthday we wanted to give our readers a profile on the Brazilian footballer, highlighting his successes and of course the challenges that he has overcome. 

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior is a Brazilian professional footballer. He plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team.

With his father’s training, Neymar began playing football from a young age in São Vicente. Football ran in the family, as the young star inherited his name from his father, a former footballer and then mentor. 

Neymars love for football was born out of his participation in Futsal. Futsal is played by most children in Brazil at some point. It combines the fast play and individual talent that is typical of Brazilian football. In Brazil, Neymar spent much of his time playing football out in the street where many of the local children would come together and play. 

Neymar was not from a particularly well-off background. Infact, when the footballer started playing semi-professionally in 2003, his added income allowed the family to buy their first property. At age 17, Neymar signed his first full professional contract and was upgraded to the Santos first team. 

Despite his incredible success, Neymar has encountered challenges along the way. During the 2014 World Cup summer in Brazil, Neymar took Brazil to the semi-finals. Though, he was injured in the Quarter-finals when competing against Chile. As a result of his injury, the footballer had to take 2 months off. In total, Neymar has suffered 16 injuries and has missed 175 days of playing in 2019. 

Neymar is an individual who demonstrates how resilience is integral to daily life. As a footballer, you have to be physically and mentally durable to combat what is thrown at you. Neymar’s success highlights how hard work, determination, and confidence will help you reach your goals. 

Happy birthday Neymar!

What challenges have you overcome and how? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!