FAMILY is everything for Neymar Jr, one of the greatest exponents of the beautiful game.
The PSG forward grew up in a poor slum in southern Brazil with mum Nadine Santos, dad Neymar Santos Sr, and younger sister Rafaella.
And despite his epic rise in the game – from making his debut aged 17 at Santos to becoming the most expensive player in the world when he signed for the French champions – he’s never forgotten his roots.
Here’s the story behind Neymar Jr’s family life.
MUM – NADINE GONCALVES
In 2016, Neymar Jr’s mum Nadine split from his dad after 25 years of marriage together.
But that brought the superstar even closer to her, and he’s always keen to share pictures and video of them together on social media, and also has her image tattooed on his arm.
And Nadine isn’t afraid to speak her mind when it comes to her son.
She told Spanish newspaper ABC in 2018 she wasn’t happy with PSG’s treatment of Neymar Jr and said he should move to Real Madrid, where he will be treated “as if he were one of the team.”
Neymar loves his mum so much he has her name tattooed on his wrist and her face inked on his bicep.
SISTER – RAFAELLA BECKRAN
Neymar Jr’s best friend is his little sis, Rafaella.
The Brazil star never misses her birthday celebrations, and seems to always be injured or suspended for his club at the end of January so he can jet off and see her.
Unbelievably, that happened five years in a row!
In 2015, the pair showed their love for one another in tattoos when Neymar Jr got a portrait of his sister’s FACE on his right bicep.
She returned the favour and got a tattoo of his EYES on her right arm.
And their body art for each other doesn’t stop there.
Neymar Jr and Rafaella have matching crowns on their left arms – his has the word ‘Sorella’, which means sister in Italian, while hers reads ‘Fratello’, meaning brother.
Neymar Jr also has her name tattooed on his wrist.
He once wrote about her: “My heart is yours, my love is yours, my smile is yours, my day, my night, my longing, my best company”.
DAD – NEYMAR SANTOS SR
Although the family were poor, the former Barcelona star was never left wanting for anything.
His dad, a former footballer himself, always made sure his son had a ball to practice on the streets with.
Although he was talented, he never made it out of Mogi Das Cruzes – the industrial suburb where Neymar Jr was raised and played for semi-professional teams.
When Neymar Sr retired, he put all his efforts and focus into ensuring his son bettered his career.
After initially hiring Wagner Ribeiro as his agent and manager, it was Neymar Jr’s dad who soon became the person responsible for shaping the footballer’s career.
Ex-Santos coach Muricy Ramalho revealed how Neymar Sr was the driving force in his son’s life.
“We spoke a lot with his father before he went to Barca and he takes great care of Neymar’s professional and commercial life,” he told Goal.
“He put everything into place for Neymar to become the best in the world.”
In 2017, Neymar Sr secured the record-breaking £198million move from Camp Nou to Paris.
Neymar is said to worship his father, a celebrity in Brazil in his own right now, and once revealed: “My father has been by my side since I was little. He takes care of things, my finances and my family.”
SON – DAVI LUCCA DA SILVA SANTOS
Neymar became a father aged just 19.
His ex-girlfriend Carolina Nogueira gave birth to Davi in 2011 in a Sao Paulo hospital, when she was just 17.
They had split before Davi was born, however Neymar Jr kept a cordial relationship with the blonde beauty, and they are still on good terms today.
That’s allowed Neymar Jr and Carolina share custody of their son, who may follow in the footsteps of his father and become a footballer.
When Davi was just six, he was enrolled at FCB Escola, a soccer camp run for young kids Barcelona.
He played alongside Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique, and Lionel Messi’s kids… now how’s that for a youth super team?
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
