Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, or simply, Neymar, is easily one of the most popular football/soccer players in the entire world. The Brazilian is just right behind the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and is actually considered by most as the heir apparent to the GOAT throne by the time Ronaldo and Messi hang up their boots. Nonetheless, today we're going to take a gander at Neymar's net worth in 2021.
Neymar's net worth in 2021: $200 million
Neymar is an outstanding soccer player as well, by the way, and his remarkable talent has allowed him to pocket quite a profit throughout his career. So just how much is Neymar worth? Let's find out.
Celebrity Net Worth estimated Neymar's net worth at a whopping $185 million as of 2021. Below we take a look at just how he amassed this huge a fortune.
Neymar was a prodigy. He was already touted as the next best thing in Brazil at a very young age. His first big-money deal came when he was just 17, when he signed a contract worth $1.7 million per year for one of the biggest soccer clubs in Brazil, Santos FC.
He was such a bright prospect that Santos wanted to lock him up as long as they possibly could. However, Neymar and his camp had a clear understanding of just how far he could go in his career, and that he was bound for European football sooner rather than later. Santos signed him to another short-term deal worth $4 million per season.
By 2013, Neymar finally made the big move abroad. This was one of the biggest blockbuster transfers at that time, with world-renowned Spanish club FC Barcelona opting to splash the cash on the Brazilian wonderkid. This came out to the tune of $119 million, which was set to pay Neymar an annual salary of around $15 million. Quite a pay hike, right?
Neymar did not disappoint, and quickly established himself as one of the most important players in Barcelona, playing alongside the great Lionel Messi. Life was good for Neymar in Spain, with the flamboyant superstar helping the club to title after title.
Nevertheless, despite being one of the biggest stars in one of the biggest teams in the entire world, Neymar called time on his Barcelona career just four years later. He opted to sign for French outfit Paris Saint-Germain, who at that time, were on the rise as one of the wealthiest clubs in all of Europe.
Neymar's megadeal with PSG amounted to a whopping $53 million per season or about a million dollars a week, making him one of the highest-paid players in the history of the sport. Not only was he earning significantly more than he was in Barcelona, but at this point, his weekly salary already matched what he was earning in a year as a 17-year-old in Brazil.
This was actually one of the criticisms of Neymar's decision to join PSG. Many believed that this was motivated primarily by money. In terms of stature, PSG is a far cry from the rich history of Barcelona, while the level of competition in France is also incomparable to that in Spain.
Aside from his massive earnings from his soccer contracts, Neymar is also one of the most marketable athletes in the entire world — in all of sports. One of his biggest sponsors is Nike, who he reportedly signed a massive 11-year deal with in 2011. While it is unclear how much that contract was worth, it is safe to say that this added a significant amount to his bank account and net worth.
Some of Neymar's other endorsement deals include Panasonic, Unilever, Volkswagen, and Lupo, to name a few. He is estimated to be earning anywhere between $20 to $40 million in endorsement deals alone.
As of writing, Neymar is just 28 years of age. That's considered to be a prime age for soccer players, whose careers usually extend to their mid-30's. At the very least, Neymar still has seven playing years ahead of him. If he's earning an estimated $80 million per year on salaries and endorsements combined, then that should add up to well over half a billion dollars over the next seven years.
It is also worth noting that currently, Neymar is being linked to a return to Barcelona, with both parties reportedly showing some interest in a potential reunion. You can bet that whatever deal will require a boatload of cash, which will only further increase Neymar's net worth.
Simply put, it would not be impossible to think that Neymar will end up being one of the wealthiest sports figures in all of history by the time he calls it a career. Oh, and just to remind you, it's not as if he's going to stop earning money once he retires. After all, he does have a few “minor” things going on on the side.
Were you at all shocked by Neymar's net worth in 2021?