Neymar: 'The turning point of my life was Pele telling me to snub Chelsea'
EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of Brazil’s game against Chile, Sportsmail
publishes a fascinating extract from his autobiography in which Neymar,
22, and his father chart the rise of a boy the family call Juninho.
Neymar Exclusive: 'The turning point of my life was Pele telling me to snub Chelsea'
- How his family feared he had died in a car crash at just four months old
- How Pele made the call to make him stay at Santos
- Brazil superstar had signed a deal with Real Madrid as a teen
- How he used his sisters as goalposts in household training games
- Neymar explains how he copes with life as a Brazilian football icon
- 3 videos
Neymar
carries the hopes of the Brazilian nation on his shoulders — and is
delivering some sublime football. Ahead of Brazil’s game against Chile, Sportsmail
publishes a fascinating extract from his autobiography in which Neymar,
22, and his father chart the rise of a boy the family call Juninho.
VIDEO Scroll down to watch World Cup poster-boy Neymar produce an outrageous skill
National icon: Neymar is leading Brazil's World Cup charge as the poster boy of the tournament
THE DAY I FEARED HE'D DIED
(by his father, Neymar Snr)
IN
June 1992, four months after the birth of my son, we went to Santos to
visit some relatives. I had played for Uniao FC on that day. I was
driving with my wife Nadine at my side and our son Juninho was sleeping
soundly, strapped to the baby seat at the back of my red car.
Driving
down the mountain on a rainy day is always dangerous — especially on a
road with a single lane and two-way traffic. A car came in our
direction. I swerved to the left. The other car crashed into us and went
through my door. My left leg ended up above my right leg. My pubis and
pelvis dislocated. I was in shock and yelled to my wife ‘I’m dying, I’m
dying’. It all happened very fast and confusion settled in. The feeling
that came next was even worse than pain and fear: Where was my son? Me
and my wife couldn’t find Neymar Jnr. I thought he had been thrown out
of the car.
We
were almost certain we had lost our son. In the middle of the despair
and with the pain in my pelvis, I can only remember praying to God to
take me instead of my son.
The
car stopped on a cliff. There was a stream below. We were hanging just
above it. Nadine had to get out through the back window. I was trapped
by the seatbelt. Juninho was missing. The people who came to our rescue
found Juninho under the back seat. Thank God! When they took him out, he
was covered in blood and taken to a hospital. All that blood was from a
small cut in his head made by a shard of glass.
Lucky to be here: Neymar's father feared his son was dead just four months into his life after a car crash
Firepower: Neymar curls a freekick towards goal as he limbers up ahead of the knockout stages
Quiet reflection: Brazil's talisman takes a moment out from the session, hidden behind a static 5-man wall
Samba magic: Neymar has scored four goals at this World Cup to fire Brazil into the last 16
SNUBBING CHELSEA
IT
was August 23, 2010. My father and I had a meeting with president Luis
Álvaro at the Santos headquarters, inside the Vila Belmiro. Chelsea had
made a huge transfer bid. In the middle of our conversation, the
president turned off the lights and pointed at an empty chair.
‘This
is the chair of the great national sports hero. Since Ayrton Senna’s
death, this chair is vacant. If Neymar Jnr stays in Santos and refuses
Chelsea’s proposal, he will give his first step to sit in this chair.’
That
made us think. That decision would be a turning point in my life. Even
Pele called me. Can you imagine how important I felt? The King of
Football called and asked me to stay.
He
reminded me of his entire career with Santos, his five world titles
with the national team and the club, and all the recognition he
received. It wasn’t easy but it was the right decision for us. We did
the right thing for our family, friends and my career.
Call from the top: A call from Pele, considered the greatest ever player, stopped Neymar joining Chelsea
Praise: Neymar celebrates a goal for Brazil - a year after leaving home club Santos for Barcelona
Master ball: Neymar stands over one of eight Brazuca balls - a tactic which could help him to the Golden Boot
Man of many talents: Neymar leaps to head a ball towards goal in training
HIS JOY CAME BEFORE CASH
(by Neymar’s father)
When
Neymar Jnr was 13 years old, my son and I went on a plane for the very
first time. We spent 19 days in Spain. Real Madrid made a proposal
similar to what Barcelona had made with Messi when he was a kid. They
would take Neymar Jnr to Madrid and he would grow up in Spain, as a man
and athlete. The payment was very good — and he was just a teenager!
After
19 days, he scored 27 goals at the training sessions. Within the first
three days, we had agreed on everything. The contract was written.
Juninho and his sister, Rafaela, were to receive scholarships. The only
thing missing was his mother’s signature. Nadine had a ticket to go to
Europe with me and Juninho, but preferred to stay at home with our
daughter.
After
less than a week, Juninho didn’t seem well. He started to feel
homesick. He missed our family, our friends, his school, his city and
Santos. He missed everything. The food was all right, but we really
wanted to eat our good old rice and beans. No money can pay for that. I
saw Neymar Jnr become sadder each day that passed. Even with everything
Madrid were doing for us, I felt the moment wasn’t right. And Juninho
agreed. So, we decided to fly back to Santos.
I
didn’t care we were abdicating from so much money. All I wanted was for
him to continue to play with joy. And there was no joy on those days.
No money could ever change that.
All pays off: Neymar is now the hero of millions as Brazil seek to win the World Cup on home soil
Full package: Brazil's number 10 has four goals so far, making him this World Cup's joint top goalscorer
All smiles: Neymar during his Santos days - in 2012 - before the young striker's big move to Barcelona
TRAINING TO IMPROVISE
Improvising
is essential in football. I learned this early in life. You might have
some play in mind and train for that a lot. But it’s in the heat of the
game that you’ll know if it works or not. The secret is that it’s
possible to ‘train’ how to improvise. How many times did I do that at
home? I used to get the ball, set up the furniture and go around
dribbling anything that popped up in front of me.
That’s
how I spent my childhood at my grandfather’s house, where I lived with
my parents. We shared a small room: me, my sister and my parents. From
the door, there was a mattress to the left, where we all slept. In front
of the mattress there was a trunk and a wardrobe. There was a small
space between the mattress and the wardrobe and it was in this narrow
corridor that I used to play with the ball. I used to love to kick the
ball around there and also liked to throw myself at the mattress as a
goalie.
My
cousins also played. I mean — they were part of the game. Jennifer was
one of the goalposts. Rafaela, my sister, was one of the posts for a
long time. Lorrayne and Rayssa were the opponents (actually, more like
training dummies, with all due respect).
They stood as obstacles and sometimes even wore sports jerseys so I could pretend it was a real match.
Later,
at the little house my father was able to build, the ‘pitch’ was very
simple. One of the goals was on the back door. I played, narrated and
cheered. ‘And then Neymar scored! Neymarzinho!’ Me! I miss all that.
There
were even ‘fouls’. When I dribbled and hit the sofa, I complained to
the imaginary referee. But I played like it was for real.
The
other day, I did a photo shoot for an ad campaign. When we finished, I
asked for the ball we used. I went to the elevators doing freestyle
‘kick ups’. I continued for the whole trip down. At the lobby, a couple
of kids asked for autographs. After a few pictures I continued to play
with the ball all the way to my car. I’ll tell you, I can’t live without
the ball.
Mixing it up: Bernard can't quite get to the ball quick enough ahead of the nimble-footed Neymar
Poise: Neymar readies himself to score Brazil's opening goal against Cameroon in their 4-1 World Cup victory
MOBBED AT THE SHOPS
I
realised things had changed on a Tuesday afternoon, right at the
beginning of my career in 2010, when I left after a training session. I
decided to go to the mall to buy a music player. I parked my car and,
when I stepped out, there were about 10 people asking for autographs and
pictures. I started to give the autographs and a big line formed at the
parking lot. Suddenly, it was a real crowd.
I
thanked everyone, put my cap on and entered the mall fast. But people
followed me. When I entered the store, a full commotion was formed. The
mall security and the manager had to create a security operation. I
don’t even know how I got out of there.
At
first, I didn’t understand all that. It was a bit scary. Some girls
would cry so much when they saw me. And there were a lot of kids with
the hairstyle I had. All this affection is rewarding, but it did scare
me.
Neymar: Brazil's World Cup hope dominates the front pages back at home as they pin their dreams on him
Finisher: Neymar strikes to score his second during Brazil's 4-1 victory over Cameroon
‘Neymar:
My Story — Conversations With My Father’ is out in paperback and
ebook, published by Arena Sport at £7.99. It is available at bookshops
and online.
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