Neymar: 12 Things You Didn't Know About Future Real Madrid Superstar

Michael Cummings@MikeCummings37X.com LogoWorld Football Lead WriterNovember 7, 2011

Neymar: 12 Things You Didn't Know About Future Real Madrid Superstar

0 of 12

    The news out of Brazil late last week was big.

    According to ESPNSoccernet, Neymar agreed in principle to a summer transfer from Santos to Real Madrid. The deal will reportedly be worth £53m. Neymar, 19, is expected to sign a contract worth £1 million per month.

    So who is this 19-year-old Brazilian sensation?

    Everybody knows that he scores goals in bunches and is a member of Santos, a former club of Pelé. But what else do we know about him?

    If the reports are correct, he's about to be one of the highest-paid, most famous players in Europe.

    It only makes sense, then, that we would want to know everything about him.

Three Separate Entities Own Neymar's Rights

1 of 12

    Santos, Neymar's club for most of the past decade, owns 50 percent of his rights. The rest belongs to other outside parties.

    DIS, a subsidiary of Brazilian supermarket chain Sonda Group, owns 40 percent after making a deal with Neymar's family in 2009.

    TEISA, an acronym for Terceira Estrela Investimentos (Third Star Investments) S.A., owns 5 percent.

Neymar's Father Could Get a Huge Windfall from the Deal

2 of 12

    According to this Goal.com report, Neymar's father could be a very rich man soon.

    The report says Neymar's father will get 10 percent of the total transfer fee, plus 10 percent of Santos' share.

His Full Name Is…

3 of 12

    … Neymar da Silva Santos Junior.

    He's sometimes known as Neymar Junior.

Neymar Wants to Play in Santos' Centenary Match

4 of 12

    Santos was founded April 14, 1912, coincidentally just hours before the Titanic sank.

    To mark 100 years, the club has been planning a centenary match for next spring.

    The desired opponent? Real Madrid.

Neymar Scored Four Goals Recently Against Atletico Paranaense

5 of 12

    Santos beat Atletico Paranaense 4-1 on Oct. 29.

    Neymar scored all four goals for Santos.

    He started with a second-minute penalty, scored another spot-kick early in the second half, and finished his four-goal glut in the 70th minute.

Santos Has Been Neymar's Only Club

6 of 12

    Neymar played with the youth team from 2003-09 and made his full debut as a 17-year-old in 2009.

West Ham Bid £12 Million for Him

7 of 12

    That's right.

    West Ham made a bid of £12 million for Neymar in the summer of 2010.

    We don't think we have to tell you it was rejected.

Neymar Maintains His Own Blog

8 of 12

    Here's the link.

    Good luck, though. It's in Portuguese.

Neymar Has Been Getting Advice from Pelé

9 of 12

    That's right: Pelé, who also played for Santos, has been acting as something of a mentor to the young star.

    The advice? Stay at Santos a little longer, at least through the Club World Cup in December.

    Looks like Neymar listened.

The Scottish FA Don't Like Him

10 of 12

    Brazil played Scotland in a friendly last spring at the Emirates Stadium in London, after which Neymar accused the Scottish fans of racism.

    The Scottish FA angrily denied the accusation and demanded an apology.

    Neymar refused.

His Team Was Involved in a Brawl Earlier This Year

11 of 12

    Santos beat Penarol in the Copa Libertadores final earlier this year. It was the club's first Copa Libertadores title since 1963.

    The two teams got in a fight after the final whistle.

    Neymar, by the way, scored the first goal in a 2-1 win.

Real Want Him to Cut His Hair

12 of 12

    Seriously, Real Madrid want Neymar to clean up his image.

    Okie dokie.

X