Brasileiro scored goals in two of his four career starts; The match against Al-Ittihad could mark his start in Saudi Arabia
After recovering from his injury, Neymar returned to training al-hilal this week and should make his debut this Friday, in a classic Saudi championship with Al-Ittihad, a team that includes Karim Benzema and Ngolo Kanté, as well as the Brazilian Romarinho. This will be the fifth time in his career that the striker will start a new chapter, both with club and country.
In 2009, Neymar started his professional career at Santos; the following year he was called up by Mano Menezes and had his first opportunity in the top Brazilian team. Three seasons later, he became the biggest sale for the Sao Paulo club when he was sold to Barcelona, the club with which he would win his only Champions League title. In 2017, he became Paris Saint-Germain’s biggest signing (R$880 million).
Before the Brazilian’s debut in Saudi Arabia, the Estadao remember what Neymar’s other beginnings of his career were like. Of his four debuts, the striker has left his mark on two.
Santos, 2009
Neymar was already a promise at Santos when he had his first opportunity as a professional in 2009. For the Campeonato Paulista, on 7 March, the then number 18 came on against Oeste in the second half, replacing Maurício Molina . The 17-year-old didn’t impress in his first taste of professional football but was instrumental in the 2-1 victory.
Santos’ two goals came in the second stage, following the entry of Neymar. Vagner Mancini, then coach of the team, praised the striker at the end of the match, defining his participation as essential for the victory. “His entrance (Neymar) he was instrumental in our victory. This is clear. At the interval I said that the team needed to improve in every sense. I would expect this evolution in 15 minutes. But something else was missing, the second man from the front. His entry changed that.”
Brazil national team, 2010
In his second year as a professional, Neymar was already being eyed to compete in the 2010 World Cup, in South Africa, after great performances in the Campeonato Paulista and Copa do Brasil that season, in which Santos won both titles. The call-up for the World Cup did not arrive, but in the first list of Mano Menezes, who replaced Mano Menezes at the helm of the team, the forward was called to participate in the selection, aiming for the 2014 World Cup.
In a friendly match against the United States at New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, Neymar was in the starting lineup and scored his first goal for the Brazilian national team. With a header, also in the first half, the striker opened the scoring in a 2-0 victory in the first friendly after the 2010 World Cup.
Barcelona, 2013
In his fifth season in Brazil, Santos failed to keep the striker for another year and sold him to Spain. Neymar chose, together with his father, to defend Barcelona, which already had Messi and, from 2014/2015, would have Luis Suárez in his squad. The trio would lead one of the best attacks in European football, winning the triple crown (Spanish League, Copa del Rey and Champions League) that season.
However, Neymar’s start didn’t have the same brilliance as his other passes. Planning focused on preparing the striker to withstand the rigors of European football. Neymar came out little by little, just like at Santos, and he didn’t start his era at Barcelona as a starter. His first match was in a pre-season friendly against Lechia Gdansk in Poland. The Brazilian came on in the 34th minute of the second half, replacing Alexis Sánchez. He did little in those 12 minutes on the pitch and walked off the pitch on 30 July, knowing he still had a month to improve.
Neymar would only have made his debut as a starter on September 1 – exactly ten years ago – in a duel with Valencia, for the Spanish championship. He didn’t score, but provided an assist in a 3-2 win.
Paris Saint-Germain, 2017
Neymar arrived at Paris Saint-Germain becoming the biggest signing in football history. The Eiffel Tower in Paris lit up to welcome the Brazilian star. His time at the club was a rocky one, until he left the country in this window, bound for the Arab world, but 2017 is off to a great start.
On August 13 of that year, in a match valid for the French championship, Neymar scored and assisted in a 3-0 victory over Guingamp. The Brazilian’s debut drew praise from the French press, who saw the striker ready to take responsibility for the team’s number 10 shirt. Over the next few years, Neymar went through internal problems and even asked to be transferred to Barcelona, which did not happen.
Source: Terra
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