Neymar began his professional career in 2009 when he debuted for Santos in the last half-hour of a game against Oeste FC, a rival Brazilian club.
A week later, he scored his first of many career goals against another Brazilian team, Mogi Mirim EC. By 2010, he was a star player for Santos, helping them clinch the Copa do Brasil championship. In five years he played for Santos FC, Neymar made 134 appearances in which he scored 70 goals and made 35 assists.
Under Neymar’s leadership, the team won a Copa Libertadores title, a feat it had not achieved in 48 years.
On July 27 of 2011, Vila Belmiro set the stage for one of Neymar Jr.’s most beautiful work of art. Back in 2011, when he was strutting his stuff at Santos, Neymar scored a solo goal so good that it still needs explaining.
It came during an enthralling 5-4 defeat to Ronaldinho’s Flamengo side and the FIFA Street-esque goal actually won that year’s FIFA Puskas Award.
Neymar picked up the ball near the halfway line, left two opposing players for dead with some audacious trickery and then exchanged passes with a teammate.
Once the ball was back under his spell, the Brazilian superstar decided to pull off the most jaw-dropping skill move to humiliate another member of Flamengo’s XI.
Neymar then cooly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to put Santos 3-0 up on the night. After that, Flamengo came back with a vengeance and they actually levelled the scores at 3-3 before the half-time interval.
Santos re-took the lead in the second period through Neymar, but a brace from Ronaldinho – which included a stunning free-kick – saw the visitors claim victory.
It’s without question one of the greatest games in the 21st century.