Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, or Neymar to you and me, is justifiably known worldwide as one of the best players of his generation, an attacking forward full of pace and trickery.
Ever since his emergence at Santos in his native Brazil at the young age of 17, the future superstar had been widely tipped as one of the all-time greats. And given that a 2013 move to Barcelona has allowed Neymar to win every domestic title available, it is hard to argue with the idea that he could do just that.
After taking the world by storm during his time at Barcelona, Neymar moved to Paris Saint-Germain in a highly controversial and expensive, €222 million (!) move in 2017.
Controversy has often followed Neymar over the years, the Brazilians volatile nature at times landing him in hot water with the authorities.
Given that Neymar has moved teams roughly every four years so far in his career, and the occasional troubles he has encountered in France, could we see a near-future move for the talented Brazilian? Perhaps a move to the Premier League?
If Neymar did become tempted by a move, does he even speak English? Let’s look into what languages he speaks.
Neymar’s Early Exposure to Languages During Youth
Growing up in Mogi das Cruzes, Neymar’s linguistic journey began at a tender age. Surrounded by a culturally diverse backdrop, he was:
- Immersed in Portuguese.
- Exposed to snippets of Spanish.
- Introduced to bits of English from TV shows and music.
What Is Neymar’s First Language?
| Language | Speaking Skills |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Good |
| English | Bad |
| Portuguese | Fluent (Native Language) |
| French | Bad |
Neymar speaks fluent Portuguese, his native language back in Brazil. It is his go-to language when he is trying to make himself understood without the constraints of a language barrier.
Given that almost everyone in Brazil uses Portuguese as their primary language, and that Neymar both lived and played his soccer in Brazil until the age of 21, it is understandable that when in interviews or in his personal life, he reverts to what he is most comfortable with.
Neymar Was Learning Spanish Before His Move To Barcelona Even as early as 2011, two years before his move to Barcelona, Neymar admitted in an interview that he already understood Spanish well.
As he had exploded onto the scene as a ridiculously talented 17-year-old, Neymar was in high demand, a future away from Brazil was guaranteed. And on a purely soccer focussed move, Spain seemed the obvious move at the time.
The annual battle for La Liga by Barcelona and Real Madrid, the fact that both teams were always in the Champions League latter stages, all pointed towards Neymar moving to one of the Spanish giants eventually.
And so Neymar, who already had the advantage of speaking Portuguese, began to learn the very similar language of Spanish.
A move to Barcelona ensued in 2013, and four successful years later, Neymar was confirmed not only as one of the most talented and saleable players on the planet but had also become fluent in his second language.
Neymar also admits to knowing a little of the Catalan language, a language widely used in the province of Catalonia.
While a separate language to Spanish and French, and it is in fact the official language of Andorra, Neymar nonetheless picked up enough of the language while playing for Barcelona to at least understand it.
A 2018 interview by ESPN News with Kylian Mbappe revealed that after Neymar’s move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, he and Neymar invariably communicated in Spanish, rather than French.
This leads up nicely to our next question…
How Fluent Is Neymar In French?
The short answer is not very fluent at all, the long answer is that Neymar understands enough French to be able to grasp what is being asked of him.
As we already stated above, Neymar took Spanish lessons almost two years prior to moving to Spain, and while he had the advantage of speaking a similar language already, he at least took the time to become more fluent.
A 2017 move to Paris may have taken Neymar by surprise, even to the point of not looking into speaking French, but almost 5 years later, the player still seems very reluctant to speak French, at least in any public setting.
A part of this is because he has little interest in learning the language, another part is because the current Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino, is also a poor French speaker.
Pochettino prefers to use Spanish (his native language) or English (his adopted language) in order to take training sessions. Given the high number of foreign imports at PSG, their Qatari owners once had a rule that any new players had to take French lessons in order to acclimatize quicker.
This rule quickly became merely an option that was offered, and just as quickly, became an offer that was rarely taken up by the players coming into the club.
In interviews, Neymar also prefers to speak in his native Portuguese or in Spanish in order to be more fluent when dealing with the world’s media.
Because Neymar does not immerse himself in the French language, he has always seemed reluctant to speak to the press in French, and as he has no need for it while at PSG, has never felt the need to push himself to learn.
Neymar does understand French, he simply doesn’t use it in his day-to-day life, although by all accounts he does speak English, and quite well.
How Well Can Neymar Speak English?
The 2011 interview Neymar conducted with AS also revealed that Neymar was also learning English alongside Spanish.
A major part in his decision to learn English could well be that alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, the English Premier League had the only other viable top teams that a player of his talent could join.
English is also widely spoken in the soccer world, not only do many players have English as their first or second language, but agents, media, sponsors, all would be able to communicate or market Neymar much easier should he speak English.
It is fair to say that Neymar understands English a great deal more fluently than he speaks it, but this should improve given much of the PSG training is given in English.
Another plus is that Neymar has a close friendship with Kylian Mbappe, and the two stars often communicate in English when together at their club.
Could We See Neymar Playing In An English Speaking Country? Neymar certainly could have another big move in him, it may feel like the precocious talent has been around forever, but given he burst onto the scene at 17, and will be only 30 years old in February 2022, he certainly could go on for many years.
While the brilliant Brazilian still has the skills, it could be argued that he still has the need to prove himself as one of the true greats.
Despite numerous league titles and cup wins, he has only one Champions League medal, and as a Brazilian international, must still harbor hopes of a World Cup win.
Neymar has the vocabulary to be able to walk into any English team and seamlessly integrate, both because he is comfortable with the language, and also because when you’re as good at soccer as Neymar da Silva Santos Junior is, you can play anywhere you want.
Comparisons with Other Multilingual Soccer Stars
| Player Name | Native Language | Other Languages Known |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Spanish | Catalan, English |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portuguese | English, Spanish, Italian |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | Swedish | Bosnian, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, French |
| Romelu Lukaku | Dutch, French | English, Portuguese, Spanish |
- Lionel Messi: Messi’s linguistic prowess mirrors his soccer skills. Native in Spanish, he’s also fluent in Catalan from his years in Barcelona. His proficiency in English has been displayed in numerous interviews and interactions with English-speaking players during his career.
- Cristiano Ronaldo: Ronaldo’s linguistic abilities are renowned. Born in Portugal, he became fluent in English during his time at Manchester United. His stints at Real Madrid and Juventus added Spanish and Italian to his repertoire, respectively. It’s said that Ronaldo’s dedication to language learning is as rigorous as his physical training.
- Zlatan Ibrahimović: Zlatan’s journey across Europe has made him one of the most linguistically talented players. Born in Sweden, he speaks fluent Swedish and Bosnian (from his parents). His football journey added English, Spanish, Italian, and even some Dutch and French to his linguistic tool belt.
- Romelu Lukaku: The Belgian striker is another multilingual marvel. Fluent in Dutch and French due to his Belgian upbringing, Lukaku also speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and understands a bit of German. His language skills are a testament to the diverse and cosmopolitan nature of modern soccer.
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