Neymar, who turns 24 today, was often labelled as "poster boy" or a YouTube sensation when he was younger, but he has long since proved his doubters wrong. Click through our gallery to follow his rise to superstardom.
The Brazil wonderkid was born in Sao Paulo on 5 February in 1992. He joined his first club, Portuguesa Santista, as an 11-year-old, before moving to Santos, the club Brazil legend Pele also played for, in 2003.
Neymar made his professional debut as a 17-year-old in 2009 and won his first title in Brazil one year later.
In 2011, he helped Santos claim their first Copa Libertadores (the South American version of the UEFA Champions League) triumph since Pele guided the club to victory in 1963, and also won the FIFA Puskas award for the Goal of the Year.
He faced FC Barcelona at the Club World Cup that same year, and finished the tournament as the third-best player behind Lionel Messi and Xavi.
In May 2013, he signed a contract with FC Barcelona and has since developed into a superstar, despite ongoing court cases around his transfer from Brazil to Spain.
He won his first Champions League title at the age of 23, and finished third in the running for the 2015 Ballon d'Or, behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Click through our birthday gallery to follow Neymar's path from poster boy to absolute superstardom and leave your birthday messages for him in the comments section below.
