Neymar was named in 1992.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior ( [ nejˈmaʁ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈsɐ̃tus ˈʒũɲoʁ ] ; born 5 February 1992 ) , commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr. , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Brazil national team . Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year , in 2011 and 2012 , before relocating to Europe to join Barcelona . Off the pitch , he ranks among the world 's most prominent sportsmen ; SportsPro named him the most marketable athlete in the world in 2012 and 2013 , and ESPN cited him as the world 's fourth-most famous athlete in 2016 .