Video: When 14-year-old Neymar played with Brazil legends and scored a wonder goal

A teenaged Neymar was already playing with kids two to three years older than him

Everyone knows Neymar was destined to become a global superstar when his exploits as a teenager gained worldwide recognition when he was at Santos in Brazil. Little do people know he was already a success when he was probably just hitting puberty. 

In 2006, Romario and Robinho had organized a match for charity in Brazil. And the game saw the likes of Santos stars and some future prospects. At the time, Neymar was only 14 years old, but he was a player who was invited to play with the team aptly called Romario Friends.

Neymar Jr. was seen doing stepovers, outfoxing opponents and linking up with midfielders before joining the attack. One such foray forward saw him send in an inch-perfect cross that saw the goalkeeper block the shot on goal. 

 

But he combined with Romario like they had a telepathic understanding. Receiving the ball in the box on a counter-attack, the Brazilian wonder kid first faked a move to the right to fool both the defender and goalkeeper. With quick feet, he shifted the ball to his left to leave the opponents flat-footed and then proceeded to roll the ball into an empty net. 

Neymar almost joined Real Madrid at 14

The Brazilian would go on to play for Santos’ youth teams but at 14 he was given the chance to play at Real Madrid, much like his idols Ronaldo and Robinho who were at the La Liga club at the time. 

“I have always dreamed of playing there,” Neymar had said, according to the New York Times. But Neymar Sr. had other ideas and did not want his son to moe to Europe without a Brazilian upbringing. 

“We’re from a humble family, and in a humble family there is always the question of cultural values,” Neymar Sr. explained. “We thought he had to grow up in Brazil. That was the first serious choice we had to make.”