A recent Instagram post from Neymar which saw the Brazilian partner with Italian clothing Replay brought up his fluency in English as a topic of discussion among his fans. Neymar, while promoting the denim brand, could be found fluently enunciating in English.
As is often the case with many European/South American footballers, Neymar is known to be fluent particularly in Portuguese and Spanish.
Being from Brazil, Neymar’s mother tongue is Portuguese. Born and raised in Sao Paulo, Neymar has a stronghold over the Portuguese language.
Neymar transferred to Barcelona in 2011 for €88 million, a record transfer fee for a South American footballer at the time and to this date. Moving to a Catalonian club where Spanish is the predominantly spoken language, Neymar saw this coming a while ago. He started learning the language as early as 2011, two years before his eventual move to Barcelona.
Interviews and the day-to-day interactions with his teammate helped him become a proficient Spanish speaker in the five years Neymar spent in Barcelona. Portugese being closer to the Spanish language made it easier for the PSG star to comprehend the language.
Paris came calling in 2017. In one of the most historic transfers to ever happen in football, the Brazil icon switched clubs from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of 224 million.
Among the multiple possible factors, not wanting to share the spotlight with Lionel Messi was rumored to be the most substantial reason for Neymar turning his back on FC Barcelona.
However, things never went as expected. Neymar’s five years (and counting) for PSG have seen some of the most disappointing career spells for a footballer. His days from Santos, Barcelona, and the Brazil NT had set a ceiling so high for Neymar that the Brazilian failed to come close to it.
Injuries and lack of dedication were always tagged as the reasons for Neymar’s failure to reach his potential at PSG.
The latter was evident as Neymar denied learning French despite staying in the club for this long. Almost six years have passed since his move to the French capital, and the Brazilian still doesn’t speak fluent French. He denied learning the language despite being suggested multiple times.
Neymar does understand French but has always seemed reluctant to speak in public. The surplus of foreign imports at PSG and a lack of French-speaking coaches at PSG over the years provided the Brazilian with no compulsion of learning the language.
Can Neymar Speak English?
The last weapon in Neymar’s arsenal of languages is English.
Over the six-year spell in PSG, Neymar’s inability to speak fluent French had to be coped up with English. English, being the most-spoken method of communication in the world seemed the sensible way out.
Being one of the biggest icons the game has ever seen, Neymar has been a part of some of the biggest brand deals in football over the years. That, combined with a reluctance to speak French compelled the Brazilian to be well-versed in the English language.
The former Barcelona man is also close friends with Kylian Mbappe and the two often communicate in English. Neymar has the vocabulary to seamlessly converse in English. Interviews and in-training communication made the Brazilian eloquent in the English language.
Aside from these four languages, Neymar has also been spotted uttering words in Japanese and Catalan during specific interviews.
After a dream start to the 2022/23 season, things have been on a decline for PSG #10 ever since the World Cup. A surprise quarterfinal exit at the hands of Croatia was followed by an injury that has ruled Neymar out for the remainder of the season. Chatter about a move away from the French capital has been an ever-present ever since the Brazilian’s move to Paris, and the case has been no different so far this season.
