Neymar is celebrating 10 years as a professional footballer, though it comes at a difficult moment after his Paris Saint-Germain side were eliminated from the last 16 of the Champions League for the second year in a row.
Few could have anticipated 10 years ago, when a 17-year-old by the name of Neymar was brought on for the final half hour of Santos' clash with Oeste in a small stadium in Sao Paulo, that he would go on to become the most expensive player in world football.
Just the past day marked the tenth anniversary of Neymar's first steps as a professional footballer and it has been a rollercoaster ride for the Paris Saint-Germain superstar since then.
While this moment is difficult, his decade since turning professional has been full of incredible highs and we look back on his 10 best moments from a fine career to date.
Professional debut with Santos
On March 7, 2009, Neymar made his debut at the age of 17 years, one month and two days with the No.18 on his back. He came on for the final 31 minutes in a 2-1 win and his dribbling was quickly noticed. A week later, he scored his first goal. "We can't say that Neymar is going to be the new Robinho or the new Pele - we must have patience," said his first coach, Vagner Mancini.
Champion of South America
In June 2011, he had a continent at his feet as Santos defeated Penarol 2-1 in the return leg of the Copa Libertadores final, with Neymar and former Real Madrid right-back Danilo scoring the goals. As a result, 48 years of waiting came to an end. "He still has to score 1,283 goals with this shirt," was Pele's response when asked about his heir.
His great exhibition with Santos
From the moment of his debut, he often gave examples of his immense quality but his biggest exhibition came on October 29, 2011 with Santos as he scored every goal in a 4-1 win over Atletico Paranaense. "I'm very happy, this is wonderful. It is history," he said through tears.
The Club World Cup loss
December 2011 brought an iconic moment in his career as Santos faced his future team Barcelona in the Club World Cup final. They were beaten 4-0 by Pep Guardiola's men but Neymar took home the tournament's bronze ball. "Barcelona taught us how to play football. I don't know if they are unbeatable but today, they're the best team in the world," he said.
Barcelona arrival
The night of May 25, 2013 was one of the longest of his life as Santos announced that they had accepted offers from both Barcelona and Real Madrid and left the choice in the hands of the player. "I'm proud and this is the happiest moment of my life, so I'll think of these two proposals with love and I'm going to decide with my family," he confessed. A day later, Barcelona announced his signing for an initial 54 million euros plus a further five million euros in bonuses and 10 million euros for the player's father.
World Cup heartbreak
Neymar is on his way to becoming Brazil's all-time top scorer and has 60 goals to Pele's 77, but he hasn't had any luck with his country. His World Cup experiences have been tremendously painful and in 2014, at 'his' World Cup, he bowed out early due to an injury, following a challenge from Juan Zuniga which fractured a bone in his back. Brazil went on to lose 7-1 to Germany in a humiliating defeat at the Maracana. In Russia last year, the Selecao exited to Belgium at the quarter-final stage and Neymar received great criticism.
A treble with Luis Enrique
His contribution was key in the treble win for Barcelona in 2015, particularly in the Champions League, and from the quarter-final phase onwards he scored in every round. He got three in the last eight against PSG, three against Bayern Munich at the semi-final stage, and completed the scoring in the 3-1 final win over Juventus. He was the top scorer in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, while only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored more in LaLiga.
The great comeback
On March 8, 2017, Neymar celebrated what was his biggest night with Barcelona. The Catalans didn't appear to have much chance of overturning a 4-0 first leg deficit agent PSG, but Neymar put the team on his back and scored twice in the 88th and 91st minute before setting up Sergi Roberto to complete an astonishing comeback in a 6-1 win.
PSG transfer
Neymar was torn between going and staying at the Camp Nou in the summer of 2017 before the bombshell was dropped in early August that he was leaving for PSG, who had met his 222 million euros release clause. In Paris, he has scored 48 goals in 53 games and provided 27 assists as he's gone on to win every domestic honour.
Champions League injuries and eliminations
He was signed by PSG to deliver on their Champions League obsession but his two years there have ended in last 16 eliminations. He missed the return leg against Real Madrid and both games against Manchester United though injury in what has been a frustrating time.
