0
Before becoming one of the best players in world football, Neymar began his career in one of the country’s main showcases: the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Jr. Trained at Santos, the striker debuted in the competition in January 2008, aged just 15, and participated in two editions of the tournament.
In the 2008 Copinha, Neymar played his first match on January 10th. Wearing the number 21 shirt, he entered the second half of the game against Barra do Garças (MT), in the group stage, replacing Paulo Henrique Ganso. Even with just a few minutes on the field, he distributed two assists in the 5-1 victory. Santos advanced to the quarter-finals, when they were eliminated by Internacional on penalties.
See the photos
In 2009, the striker returned to Copinha as a member of the under-20 team. Santos passed the group stage without difficulty, beating América (SP), União (MT) and Cene (MS). Neymar scored on his debut, in the 4-0 victory over Cene, and came back to decide in the second phase, with two goals in the 4-0 victory against Guarani.
The campaign ended in the round of 16, with a 2-1 defeat to Cruzeiro. The Santos goal came after a penalty conceded by Neymar and converted by Serginho. That was the last youth competition played by the attacker.
Shortly afterwards, on March 7, 2009, Neymar debuted for Santos’ professional team, against Oeste, in the Campeonato Paulista. In the same season, the club finished second in the state, and the striker received the championship’s revelation award.
