Conmebol Copa America 2021

Neymar, in full Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr., (born February 5, 1992, Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil), Brazilian football (soccer) player who was one of the most prolific scorers in his country’s storied football history. Neymar began playing football as a boy in São Vicente, under the guidance of his father, a former professional footballer who remained a close adviser and mentor throughout his son’s career. Having played street and indoor five-a-side football, Neymar joined Portuguesa Santista’s youth team in São Vicente, and in 2003 he and his family moved to Santos. There Neymar, who was already an impressive player, joined the youth academy of Santos FC (the same club for which Brazilian football legend Pelé starred over the majority of his domestic career). At age 14 he had a successful trial with Spain’s Real Madrid, and Santos had to increase its spending to retain him. Neymar—a slender-framed 5-foot 9-inch (1.75-metre) forward—was supremely confident on the field, with excellent body control, quick reflexes, and explosive speed. He made his first team debut with Santos in 2009. While playing with Santos, he averaged a goal every other match and helped the team win the Libertadores Cup (the most prestigious South American club competition) in 2011. Neymar’s many individual honours with Santos included the South American Footballer of the Year title in 2011 and 2012. In June 2013 Neymar signed a five-year contract with FC Barcelona after a trade with Santos in exchange for €57 million (about $76 million), one of the most expensive soccer transfers in history. Two years later he helped Barcelona capture the “treble” of a La Liga championship, a Copa del Rey title, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League title. While Neymar was instrumental in Barcelona’s success from 2013 to 2017, totaling 105 goals in 186 games with the club across all competitions, he longed to get out of the shadow of teammate Lionel Messi, one of the greatest players in football history. As a result, in August 2017 he engineered a departure to the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a then record €222 million ($263 million) transfer fee. In addition to being the new face of PSG, Neymar also became the highest-paid player in the world, with a €45 million ($53 million) annual salary. He appeared in just 30 matches during his first season with PSG, scoring 28 goals for the club before breaking a bone in his right foot. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Internationally, Neymar was considered for the Brazilian side that participated in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but he was ultimately not included on the squad. Instead, he made his debut for the national team in August 2010, in a friendly match against the U.S., where he scored his first international goal in Brazil’s 2–0 win. He scored four goals for Brazil at the 2013 Confederations Cup, including one in the team’s 3–0 victory over Spain in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s most valuable player as well as the Bronze Boot as its third highest scorer. Neymar starred for Brazil when his home country hosted the 2014 World Cup, scoring four goals in five games before he was knocked out of the competition with a fractured vertebra in the quarterfinals. Without the team’s most important player, Brazil lost by a shocking 7–1 margin to eventual-champion Germany in the semifinals. Despite his early exit from the tournament, Neymar won the Bronze Boot. At the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, he led the Brazilian men’s side to its first Olympic gold medal, scoring the winning penalty in extra time of the final match against Germany. He scored two goals at the 2018 World Cup but was as well-known for his many theatrical embellishments of fouls during that tournament (Neymar was the most-fouled player in the event) as for his on-field play. Brazil’s World Cup appearance ended with a quarterfinal loss to Belgium. Off field, Neymar experienced legal troubles. In 2012 a Brazilian court ordered him and his father to pay substantial back taxes from 2007 to 2008. An appeal was denied in 2016, and that year a Brazilian court additionally found Neymar guilty of having falsified documents in order to avoid paying taxes on income received in 2011–13. The player and his father were also called into Spanish court after an investment fund that had sponsored him alleged that it had been defrauded during his 2013 transfer to Barcelona.

Luis Lionel Andres (“Leo”) Messi is an Argentinian soccer player who plays forward for the FC Barcelona club and the Argentina national team. At the age of 13, Messi moved from Argentina to Spain after FC Barcelona agreed to pay for his medical treatments. There he earned renown as one of the greatest players in history, helping his club win more than two dozen league titles and tournaments. In 2012, he set a record for most goals in a calendar year, and in 2019, he was named Europe's Ballon d'Or winner for the sixth time.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on 5 February 1985 in Madeira, Portugal. He plays as a forward for Italian club Juventus and the Portugal national team. Commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo or CR7, he is regarded as one of the best players of this generation. He has won the FIFA Ballon d’Or five times, equalled only by rival Lionel Messi. Known for his pace and physicality, Ronaldo plays on the left wing, but can play as a striker as well. The Portuguese international has scored 555 goals from 749 club appearances till date. Ronaldo signed with English club Manchester United in 2003 for a transfer fee of £12.24 million, becoming the first Portuguese signing for United and the most expensive teenager in English football history. He made his debut on 16th August 2003 against Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League, when he came on as a substitute for Nicky Butt. He received a standing ovation as United won 4-0. On November 1 2003, Cristiano scored his first goal for the club with a free kick in a 3-0 win against Portsmouth. Ronaldo stayed at United for six years, during which he won his first FIFA Ballon d’Or following a stellar 2007-08 season when he scored 42 goals from 49 appearances, winning the league title, the league cup, European Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup all in the same season. He has scored 118 goals from 292 appearances for Manchester United. Rise to Glory Ronaldo joined spanish giants real madrid in the 2009/10 season in a then world record transfer fee of £80 million. He was given the number 9 jersey and made his La Liga debut on 29 August 2009, against Deportivo La Coruna. Madrid won 3–2 and ronaldo converted a penalty. He kept up his form and scored in four consecutive matches. Even though Madrid failed to win any trophy during the 2009/10 season, Ronaldo scored 33 goals from 35 appearances and finished second in the FIFA World Footballer of the Year. After receiving the number 7 jersey from Raul before the 2010/11 season, ronaldo scored a personal best of 53 goals from 54 appearances, winning the European Golden Shoe for a second time. The next season ronaldo broke his past record, scoring 60 goals. His domestic performances saw madrid winning the la liga with a record 100 points after four years. He scored 46 goals in the league, scoring against all the other 19 teams throughout the season. The 2012-13 season saw Ronaldo on the goal trail again, scoring 55 goals from 55 appearances. He won the Spanish Super Cup, and finished as runner up to lionel messi for the FIFA Ballon d’Or. The 2013-14 season was an important one for Ronaldo as well as madrid, when they won the European Cup for the tenth time (la decima). Ronaldo scored 69 goals from 59 appearances, his career best. His international performance was impressive as well, with hat-tricks against ireland and sweden. His performances led him to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or trophy for the second time. His 17 goals in the Champions League made him top scorer for the third consecutive year, and he won the UEFA Best Player Award. In the season 2014-15, ronaldo won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, scoring a career best total of 61 goals from 54 appearances. He also won the FIFA Ballon d’Or for the third time. He finished the Champions League with 10 goals, shared with barcelona duo Messi and Neymar. He also won the Pichichi trophy and UEFA Best Player in Europe award for a second time. Real Madrid won the Champions league for the 11th time during the 2015-16 season, completing La Undecima, with Ronaldo becoming the all-time top scorer of the competition. He became the all time top scorer for Real madrid in the same year, finishing the season with 51 goals from 48 appearances. In the summer of 2018, Ronaldo left Real Madrid to sign for Italian giants Juventus. Cristiano Ronaldo backed by talented youngsters in squad as Portugal aim for second successive title. The defending champions are bringing one of their most talented teams in years to Euro 2020, loaded with players who can support Ronaldo and make Portugal a contender again.

Paulo Dybala is a Argentinian footballer who currently plays for the Italian club, Juventus. The attacking forward was born in the city of Laguna Larga, Argentina on 15 November 1993. Since the very beginning, Dyala was a dexterous footballer and gained a reputed position in the Italian football club. He was the top assist provider in the 2014–15 from Serie A when he was part of Palermo. He has been part of Serie A twice, when his team was declared to be the Team of the Year. He was the top goalscorer in 2016–17 for Coppa Italia. He held the 15th position for the Ballon d'Or in the year 2017. In 2017, Dybala scored two goals for Juventus' first-leg Champions League quarter-final fixture against Barcelona, helping them to acquire a 3–0 home victory. As Juventus made it to the finals at 2017 Champions League, Dybala was placed sixth in the 2017 UEFA Best Player of the Year Award.

Mesut Özil is a German professional footballer who was born on 15th October 1988 in Gelsenkirchen, West Germany. He plays for English club Arsenal and the Germany national team. Özil plays mostly as an attacking midfielder through the centre of the pitch, but can also be deployed as a winger on either flank. In 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, Özil became the joint-highest assist provider. In 2005, Özil moved to the youth system of Schalke 04 and later moved to represent Werder Bremen in 2008. In the 2009–10 season, Özil became the key playmaker of Werder Bremen. Özil ensured his place among Europe's top young talents as he signed a deal with Real Madrid due to his performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Özil agreed to join English side Arsenal on 2nd September 2013 and he continues for Arsenal in the 2017–18 season, when he signed a new long-term deal with the Gunners. He has scored 81 goals in the 485 matches he appeared for different clubs. Özil has been called "assist-king" in the media, due to his creative ability and offensive prowess as a playmaker. In the 88 appearances he made for Germany national team, he managed to score 22 goals at international level. Özil's performances for Real Madrid during his first season were praised by media as he finished the season with 25 assists which is the highest for any player in any major European competition that season. He was nominated for UEFA Best Player in Europe Award due to his fine form with Real Madrid and German national team, in which he finished tenth, being the youngest player to feature in the Top 10 and was also shortlisted for FIFA Ballon d'Or award. Özil finished the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament as the joint-highest assist provider and was named in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament which earned him two Man of the Match Awards.

Mauro Emanuel Icardi is an Argentine professional football player. He was born on 19 February 1993 in Rosario, Argentina. He mainly plays the role of a striker, currently for the club Inter Milan. He started being part of the national side from 2012. By late April 2013 it became public that Icardi would join Internazionale. On 16th July 2013 he was finally transferred to Internazionale for €6.5 million for 50% registration rights. Icardi made his Inter official debut on 25th August 2013 as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 win over Genoa. In Inter's first match of the 2014-15 season held against Iceland's Stjarnan on 20 August 2014 for first leg of play-off round of the 2014–15 Europa League Icardi opened the 3–0 away win. In the 2015–16 season he served as the Captain of Inter. He scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season in August during the 1–1 draw against Palermo at home. He scored two goals in the opening matchday against Fiorentina in the 2017–18 season.

Angel di Maria is an Argentinian footballer, born on 14th February 1988 in Rosario, Argentina. Di Maria is primarily a right winger but is also equally adept in the role of a left winger and an attacking midfielder. The left footed player currently plies his trade for French club, Paris Saint Germain. Di Maria was a part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad of Argentina and helped his country to the final where they were beaten by Germany. Di Maria scored the only goal of the game during the round of 16 tie against Switzerland. He would set up the only goal of the quarter final against Belgium scored by Gonzalo Higuain before limping off the field. He missed the remainder of the tournament. After having a disappointing spell with Manchester United in 2014-15, he signed for Paris Saint Germain and had a fantastic debut season as he set a new record in Ligue 1 for assisting the most number of goals in a season. He followed it up with 14 goals in the 2015-16 season. Although he has found it tough to find a place in the starting eleven in the current 2016-17 season, he has eight goals and six assists to his name in 25 appearances, most of which are from the bench.

Kylian Mbappé Lottin is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for the France National Football Team and Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappé was born on 20 December 1998 in Paris. Mbappé made his debut with the senior Monaco team in the year 2015 against SM Caen. He scored his first goal for the club in the year 2016 at the age of 17 and turned out to be the youngest goalscorer for Monaco. He moved to PSG in 2017. He was signed for a loan from Monaco. He was the second most expensive player to be transferred after Neymar. He scored a goal on his debut for PSG, in a 5–1 Ligue 1 win at Metz. Mbappé played for France in 2017 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. He was the second youngest player after Maryan Wisnieski to feature in the France national team, at the age of 18. He scored his first senior international goal against the Netherlands in 2018 World Cup qualification. Mbappé scored the first hat-trick of his first-team career against Stade Rennais in the Coupe de la Ligue and that was the first hat-trick scored by any Monaco player in the competition since Sonny Anderson in 1997. He scored a goal for Monaco with a half-volley against Manchester City and he became the second youngest French scorer in UEFA Champions League history behind Karim Benzema.

Mohamed Salah is a professional Egyptian footballer who plays as a striker for English club Liverpool and Egypt’s national team. Salah was a Chelsea reject and was bought by Liverpool for a bargain price of £35 million after his spell at Roma. After joining Liverpool, Salah was phenomenal throughout the 2017-18 Premier League season. He scored an astounding number of 32 goals in 36 matches breaking the records of Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ian Rush and Luis Suarez. The net worth of Mohamed Salah is estimated to be around $2.25 million. However it is expected to rise in the coming years due to his immense success recently.

Harry Kane is a professional footballer who currently plays for Premier League club Tottenham and the England national team. Following successful loan stints with Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester city, Kane cemented his spot in Tottenham's first team in the 2014-15 season. Kane had a glorious campaign, which saw him being included in the PFA team as well as being named the PFA player of the year. He was also the division's top scorer with 21 goals. As the seasons progressed, so did the number of goals coming from Harry Kane's boot. The 2016-2017 season saw him finishing with 29 goals and was awarded the Golden boot for a second time in the row, becoming the only fifth player to do so. He was also included in the PFA team for the third time in a row. The 2017-2018 saw him reigning supreme over Europe, as he became the continent's top scorer with 56 goals across all competitions. He also became the first player in Premier League's history to score 6 hat tricks in a year. He ended the season by scoring his 100th Premier League goal and also became Tottenham's all time top scorer.

Kevin De Bruyne is a Belgian professional football player who currently plays for Manchester City and the Belgian national team. He was born on 28 June 1991 in Drongen, Ghent, Belgium. At present, he is considered one of the top players in the world. De Bruyne began his career at KVV Drongen in 1997 as a six year old boy. After playing there for two years, he joined Gent in 1999. A few years later, he moved to Genk, where he eventually made his senior debut. In 2012, Chelsea brought De Bruyne on board. However, the move didn't work out and he was sold to Vfl Wolfsburg in 2014. At the German club, De Bruyne became a world-beater with every top European club looking for his signature. In the end, Manchester City won the race and forked out a reported fee of £55 million (€75 million) for his services. For Belgium, De Bruyne made his senior debut on 11th August, 2000 and has since amassed over 50 caps for his country. He was also part of the team which finished 3rd at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. De Bruyne plays as a central midfielder for Manchester City and Belgium. However, he is also capable of functioning on the flanks. His greatest asset is his propensity to garner assists with his composure in the final third unrivaled. In addition, he boasts of exemplary vision on the ball and can spot passes others can't see.

Philippe Coutinho is a professional Brazilian footballer who was born on 12 June, 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Esmerelda Coutinho and José Carlos Correia. The youngest of three sons, he plays for the Brazilian National Team and FC Barcelona. Coutinho plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Barcelona and Brazil. The Brazilian boasts of excellent vision and is one of the most creative players on the pitch. Additionally, his trademark shots from outside the box have led to several goals over the years.