“WE didn’t begin at zero; rather, we began at minus five.”
Neymar Sr.’s description of his son’s impoverished beginnings contrasts sharply with his opulent Parisian lifestyle as the most expensive footballer in the world.
The £198 million striker has transformed the Parc des Princes into one of the world’s most prestigious celebrity hangouts, earning around £515k per week since his spectacular arrival last summer.
Many celebrities, including Rihanna, Tyga, Naomi Campbell, the Kardashians, and the Beckhams, have rushed to Paris to see Neymar in action.
While there are many A-list friends, Justin Bieber, Drake, and Lewis Hamilton are just three well-known names on the list.
But stories of all-night after-parties and diva-like arguments with teammates have observers wondering if Neymar is losing focus.
A well-known story in the current global game is the rags-to-riches trip from the Brazilian favelas to soccer superstardom.
But too frequently, brilliance is wasted as more and more zeroes are added to bank balances.
The staggering sums Neymar will receive as part of his Paris Saint-Germain contract will give him unprecedented levels of fame and wealth.
The reason this shanty-town Samba sensation won’t forget his beginnings, though, is apparent when one looks past the spotlight…
Growing up in the impoverished Sao Paulo neighbourhood of Mogi das Cruzes, the future Brazil captain’s life was difficult from the start.
Parents Nadine and Neymar Sr. struggled so badly that they were unable to pay for an ultrasound before the baby was born.
Neymar, a four-month-old baby, miraculously avoided dying after being flung from a car in a horrific collision that left his father with a damaged hip.
As a young child, Neymar frequently had to dwell in the little family’s residence by candlelight and without power.
In a less fortunate area, Neymar’s parents celebrate his first birthday. M. D. CruzesWe even used to live here when it was a landfill where the entire city dumped its trash, according to Neymar Sr., who calls the region “a very low social-quality neighborhood.”
However, things quickly grew worse when he was forced to give up his own lower-league football career, along with it all of his money, due to injury issues resulting from the incident.
The entire family was forced to move into Neymar’s grandparents’ little home, where they shared one mattress, with the addition of infant Rafaella.
And while young Neymar honed his ball talents in the streets and on the futsal field, his father worked three jobs to provide for his family: as a laborer, a mechanic, and a salesman.
Every step in his career has been based on their bond. He prominently displays Neymar Jr. on the back of his shirts, which is no accident.
And nowhere was that more clear than in a statement Neymar made on Instagram just before finalizing his move to PSG: “You symbolize ALL my FRIENDS… having you as a buddy is one of the nicest things I have in my life. I cherish you, Dad.
Neymar has a strong bond with his family that goes beyond that. On his torso, he has tattoos of the faces of his sister, mother Nadine, and son Davi Lucca.
Even more troubling, he has missed games on each of Rafaella’s last three birthdays due to suspension or sickness.
Neymar made his Santos debut at the age of 17, having turned down Real Madrid’s advances when he was just 14 years old in order to stay with his family.
He and his father signed a contract with the Brazilian side stating that they would negotiate any future transfer individually after rejecting Los Blancos.
And in 2013, when he finally relocated to Europe with Barcelona, the lives of the entire family underwent a permanent transformation.
As his son’s agent, Neymar Sr. made £35 million from the transfer, including a £9 million down payment and an additional £26 million at closing.
Santos controversially received only £15 million for creating and supporting their home-grown sensation.
Later, Barca had paid Neymar Sr. MORE than Lionel Messi throughout his son’s time at the club thanks to a Nou Camp contract renewal and a £23 million loyalty payment before the PSG move.
But despite charges of greed and a public court dispute, Neymar has continuously defended his father, declaring in 2014: “I’m a fan of my father.
And I will stay that way since he helped me get to where I am now. If he got millions from it, what’s the issue? He put in work and didn’t wait for things to fall into his lap.
He recently stated: “My father has supported me ever since I was a child.
“He looks after my family and my finances. He is in command right now. He is in charge.
“Someone is always nearby, watching me more than watching me,”
Last summer, the sensational move of Neymar to Ligue 1 shocked the whole football world.
One of Barca’s renowned MSN triad decided to take the easy way out in a shoddy league rather than compete as a member of the best football team in the planet.
The deal’s enormous price tag—some estimates have it at over HALF A BILLION pounds—led to the striker being derided by many as a money-grabber without ambition.
And they had a partial point. The decision was purely financial.
However, Neymar does have a strong motivation—it’s simply not related to football.
Every professional choice he has taken has been focused on bettering the lives of his family, his son, and the thousands of children in Brazil who are still suffering from the conditions he fled.
His father won’t ever have to work again, and the less fortunate kids in the social initiatives he finances have the chance to follow in his footsteps.
Because of his talent, Neymar has transformed from a young boy from a shantytown who dreamed of being a Power Ranger into a real-life superhero to millions of Brazilian youth.
And he has no intention of jeopardizing that in one of Paris’ opulent nightclubs.