Welcome to OneFootball’s definitive ranking of the 25 greatest players of the last 25 years.
Over the course of 25 days, we will be counting down our top 25 men’s footballers of the 21st century so far, before revealing the winner on 1st January 2025.
Check out the list so far here
Today, our countdown continues with…
Nationality: Brazilian (128 caps, 79 goals)
Main clubs: Barcelona, PSG
Major trophies won: LaLiga (x2), Ligue 1 (x5), Champions League (x1), Club World Cup (x1), Copa Libertadores (x1), Olympic Games gold medal (x1)
Major individual awards: South American Footballer of the Year (x2), UEFA Team of the Year (x2), PuskĂĄs Award (x1)
Highest ranking by voters: 3rd (one voter)
Neymar Jr was a precocious talent who was tipped for the top of the game from the moment he emerged onto the scene with Santos as a 17-year-old.
Within four years he had moved to Barcelona, where he became a decorated title winner, regular goalscorer and the number 10 of the Brazilian national team. At 23, he joined the select band of players who have won both the Champions League and Copa Libertadores.
Neymar went on to become a key figure in PSG’s domestic successes after a world record move to Ligue 1 and was responsible for accumulating more money in transfer fees than any other player in the history of the game.
đ¸ Pedro Vilela – 2023 Getty Images
Neymar holds the honour of scoring the fastest goal in Olympic Games history when he netted against Honduras after just 14 seconds.
Thirty-eight members of OneFootball’s global editorial team ranked their top 25 players of the 21st century so far. Players ranked at #1 earned 25 points, second place earned 24 points, and so on. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest individual ranking was placed higher on the list.
đ¸ Matthias Hangst – 2021 Getty Images
