Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for 222 million euros, a fee no transfer has passed since. Injuries took whole seasons from him after that, the Ballon d’Or never came, and in the end he went home to Santos. This page tells the story in order: why he left, what he cost, the career either side of the fee, what he did for Brazil, and where he is now. Fizbal’s films tell the story behind each soccer legend.
Why did Neymar leave Barcelona?
The short answer
Why he went comes down to three parts: what he said he wanted, what made the move possible, and what he denied.
- The challenge he named himself at his unveiling on August 4, 2017.
- The release clause, which meant Barcelona’s agreement was not needed.
- His own denial that money was the motive, or that he left because he did not feel like a star at Barcelona.
That clause set the fee, and the fee set a record.
How much did Neymar cost?
222 million euros, paid on August 3, 2017, is what Neymar cost Paris Saint-Germain. The money went through a release clause, a figure written into his contract that a buying club could pay without the selling club’s agreement. The table below shows the record fee before Neymar’s, his own, and the highest fee paid since.
| Year | Player and move | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Paul Pogba, Juventus to Manchester United | 105 million euros |
| 2017 | Neymar, Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain | 222 million euros |
| 2018 | Kylian Mbappe, Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain | 180 million euros |
No fee has passed 222 million euros since, and the record still stands as of September 26, 2026. If you want the mechanics behind clauses, fees and contracts, read how transfers work.
The career behind the record fee
Before the fee there was a career, and it explains why a club would pay it: a continental title at Pele’s old club, four seasons at Barcelona beside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and then the most expensive move ever made.
Santos, the Puskas goal and the Libertadores
Neymar played for Santos from 2009 to 2013. His debut came on March 7, 2009, at 17. On July 27, 2011, he scored a solo goal against Flamengo that won FIFA’s Puskas Award, the prize for the best goal of the year. That same season he led Santos to the Copa Libertadores, South America’s club title, beating Penarol 2-1 in the second leg of the final for the club’s first since 1963. Then came the 2011 Club World Cup final, lost 4-0 to Barcelona: the level above him, and his next club.
Barcelona, MSN and the treble
The Barcelona years ran from 2013 to 2017. MSN was the front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, and in 2014-15 they scored 122 goals between them as Barcelona won the treble. Neymar scored the last goal of the 2015 Champions League final against Juventus in Berlin, deep in stoppage time. The 2013 move from Santos was later taken to court in Spain, and in December 2022 a court acquitted Neymar and everyone else charged. He was the next Brazilian to light up Barcelona after Ronaldinho, and you can read about Ronaldinho’s Barcelona years.
The 6-1 remontada
Remontada is Spanish for a comeback, and one played out at the Camp Nou on March 8, 2017. Down 4-0 from the first leg in Paris, Barcelona won 6-1 at home, 6-5 on aggregate, the first team to overturn a four-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League. The ending came by the minute: Neymar’s free kick in the 88th, his penalty in the 91st, and his pass for Sergi Roberto’s winner in the 95th. Five months later, the club he beat that night bought him.
Paris, the injuries and the drift
Paris Saint-Germain was his home from 2017 to 2023. There were five French league titles, in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, and a Champions League final in 2020, lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Lisbon. But a pattern set in. In February 2018, and again in January 2019, Neymar broke a bone in his right foot, and each time he missed PSG’s Champions League knockout games, against Real Madrid and then Manchester United.
What did Neymar do for Brazil?
Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top scorer, with 80 goals, and he won the 2016 Olympic gold, Brazil’s first in men’s football. He equaled Pele’s record of 77 against Croatia at the 2022 World Cup and passed it with two goals against Bolivia in September 2023. His last goal for Brazil, the 80th, was a stoppage-time penalty in the 2-1 round-of-16 loss to Norway on July 5, 2026, after which he said his international career was over. The table runs through five tournaments, from the fractured vertebra of 2014 to his 80th and final goal in 2026.
| Year | Tournament | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | World Cup | A fractured vertebra in the quarterfinal against Colombia; Brazil lost the semifinal 7-1 to Germany without him |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Gold at the Maracana; he scored the winning penalty against Germany |
| 2021 | Copa America | The final lost 1-0 to Argentina at the Maracana |
| 2022 | World Cup | The goal against Croatia that equaled Pele |
| 2026 | World Cup | The penalty against Norway, his 80th goal and his last match for Brazil |
For the bigger story around those tournaments, see World Cup history.
Where is Neymar now?
As of September 26, 2026, Neymar plays for Santos in Brazil, on a contract to the end of 2026. The road there ran through Saudi Arabia: he joined Al Hilal in August 2023, tore the ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, playing for Brazil against Uruguay in October 2023, and made seven appearances in 18 months there. He returned to Santos in January 2025 and helped the club stay in the top division that year. He is still playing, for Santos; he stopped playing for Brazil in July 2026.
Is Neymar still the most expensive player?
The short answer
The full ranking lives in the most expensive transfers of all time.
Did Neymar ever win the Ballon d’Or?
The short answer
Fizbal’s guide to the Ballon d’Or explains how the award works.
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