Brazilian superstar footballer Neymar is widely regarded as one of the finest players of his generation. This highly gifted footballer has climbed to new heights after joining FC Barcelona from Santos in 2013. Neymar has a successful career behind him, with several noteworthy records by his name. He is one of the wealthiest sportsmen in the world, but what contribution does Neymar make to society’s poor and disadvantaged? He does give back to the community, and his efforts are worthy of praise. Let’s take a look at Neymar Jr. Philanthropy.
Neymar’s Background
Neymar was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, a town in Sao Paulo. Neymar has been a bright footballer since he was a kid. He used to play futsal and street football with friends. According to Neymar, playing street football helped him improve speed and technique.
Neymar’s family relocated to Sao Vicente in 2003, and he began playing for the Portuguesa Santista youth team. Later, he joined Santos FC, one of South America’s most prestigious football clubs.
At the age of 15, Neymar began to amaze with his football ability and earned a sizable amount of money. His family acquired a home near Santos stadium even before Neymar’s senior debut. The promising Brazilian forward made his official professional debut in 2009 at the age of 17.
A Quick Look at Neymar’s Football Career
Neymar has been a professional football player for 13 years. He spent the first four years of his career in Brazil before going to Europe in 2013. He was a player of Santos FC from 2009 to 2013, where he scored 136 goals in 225 games. Neymar won three straight Brazilian league titles (2010, 2011, and 2012) with Santos and was named South America Footballer of the Year twice, in 2011 and 2012.
Neymar became a global football superstar after joining FC Barcelona in 2013. Messi, Neymar, and Suarez formed a formidable attacking trio at Barcelona. He was instrumental in Barcelona’s La Liga triumphs in 2015 and 2016, as well as the 2015 Champions League. Neymar scored a crucial goal in the 2015 Champions League final against Juventus. Neymar scored 105 goals in 186 appearances for FC Barcelona.
He decided to leave Barcelona after four seasons to explore a new challenge. PSG paid Barcelona a world record fee of 222 million euros for Neymar in the summer transfer window of 2017. Since then, he has been at PSG, where he has helped them win three league titles in a row from 2018 to 2020.
Neymar has yet to win a major trophy with Brazil at the international level. He was not a part of the Brazilian side that won the Copa America in 2019. He just won the FIFA Confederations Cup with Brazil’s senior team in 2013.
Neymar is now the third-highest goalscorer in the South American continent, after Lionel Messi (80) and Pele (77). He has scored 70 goals in 115 appearances for the Brazilian national team.
Neymar Jr. Philanthropy: Exemplary Charitable Work
Neymar has been active in philanthropic initiatives since the beginning of his professional football career. However, this well-known Brazilian footballer has been increasingly engaged in humanitarian activities after founding his own non-profit organization (Neymar Jr Institute) in 2014.
Based in Sao Paulo, Neymar’s non-profit organization focuses on various sectors. This foundation aims to increase the opportunities available to children, adolescents, and their families who are economically insecure. They also advocate for better health care, education, sports, and cultural activities.
However, the majority of Neymar Jr Institute’s philanthropic initiative has focused on aiding underprivileged Brazilian communities in order to ensure that they have access to sufficient facilities in a multitude of areas.
Neymar donated $950,000 to UNICEF and Paris-Saint-Germain in April 2020 to aid in the battle against the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil.
On August 15, 2017, Neymar was named the ambassador for Handicap International. The goal is to help the world’s most vulnerable individuals and disabilities living in poor regions.
Apart from that, Neymar also contributes to a number of charitable organizations on a regular basis. Therefore, he is known as one of the most generous donors among athletes.
Source: United News of Bangladesh