South America's best player

On 5 February 2012, when he turned 20, Neymar scored his 100th objective as an expert football player, against Palmeiras in the Campeonato Paulista. On 25 February 2012 – he scored two objectives, one of which was from 25-yards – and made two helps to push his side to a 6– 1 prevail upon Ponte Preta. On 7 March 2012, Neymar got a cap trap as Santos saw off Brazilian opponents Internacional 3– 1 in the Copa Libertadores Group organize match. On 29 March, he scored a support against Guaratinguetá in a 5– 0 victory. In the apparatus against São Paulo on 29 April 2012, Neymar scored a cap trap with the match finishing 3– 1. Thereafter, he went ahead to score twice in the first and second legs in the 2012 Campeonato Paulista Finals against Guarani, which finished 7– 2 on total. Neymar completed the 2012 Campeonato Paulista with 20 objectives and was voted the Best player and Best Forward, and Santos were delegated champions. He was joint best scorer in the Copa Libertadores with eight objectives, after Santos were beaten more than two legs by possible champions Corinthians in the semi-finals.

On 25 August 2012, he scored a prop in the 2– 1 away win at Palmeiras. On 3 November 2012, in the Brasileiro Série An away apparatus at Cruzeiro, Neymar scored a cap trap and helped Felipe Anderson's objective, to push his side to a 4– 0 win. Neymar completed off the 2012 season in style, first setting-up Victor Andrade's equalizer, at that point scoring twice, to give Santos a 3– 1 home prevail upon Palmeiras on 1 December 2012. Neymar was voted the Best Player of the 2012 Recopa Sudamericana, Neymar scoring in the second leg to win the title 2– 0 on total. He completed the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with 14 objectives and being voted the Best forward. Neymar completed the 2012 season, being grant the Golden Ball, Arthur Friedenreich Award and Armando Nogueira Trophy. He was one of three finalists in the 2012 FIFA Puskás Award and completed sprinters up behind Miroslav Stoch. He won the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, holding his honor and winning it in front of any semblance of Ronaldinho. Reports developed in 2011 that Santos achieved a concurrence with Barcelona to sign him at a later stage. Neymar, notwithstanding, rejected this in a meeting, saying that he had "no concurrence with Barcelona or anybody else".

Neymar has given support to Premier League sides in their aspirations to sign the Santos wonderkid after he prevented reports from securing an assention that would see him leave Brazil to join Barcelona.

Reports developed in October from RAC1, among others, that the Blaugrana had achieved an arrangement whereby they would pay €10 million in advance with a view to a €40 million move either in the mid year of 2013 or after the 2014 World Cup.

Nonetheless, in a meeting with Uruguayan daily paper El Pais, the forward himself denied that any such game plan had been made.

'I have no concurrence with Barcelona or any other individual," said the 20-year-old Brazil global subsequent to winning the daily paper's lofty 'Ruler of South American Football' grant, which he gathered in Montevideo.

'The main thing I have marked is with Santos, and I'm upbeat. They're a major club with whom I'm under contract until 2014.

'The most essential thing is to be cheerful, and I'm with my family. My goal is to help Santos and Brazil, and the best will accompany diligent work.'