Registration Now Open: Neymar Jr’s Five Tournament Comes to Phoenix April 30th

By Editor March 30, 2016 06:00

(Los Angeles, CA) – Brazil and Barcelona great Neymar Jr is giving thousands of young soccer players the chance to step up their game by staging a unique five-a-side knockout tournament called Neymar Jr’s Five, with registration now open in more than 35 countries across six continents.

In this signature event for male and female players 18-25 years of age, Neymar Jr helped devise a special twist: a five-player team loses one player each time they concede a goal until there are no players left, or the 10-minute game ends.

“It’s a fun, fast and technical game,” said Neymar Jr, who grew up playing the same kind of fast-paced five-a-side soccer in his neighborhood. “It’s the kind of soccer I’ve always loved to play.”

In the USA, the striker is inviting players to team up for his five-a-side tournament by going to www.neymarjrsfive.com to join a qualifier and learn more about the tournament. There will be nine qualifiers across seven cities (Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, Fresno and Rochester, NY), capped off with the US finals in Miami on June 11. The first US qualifier will be in Fresno, Calif. on April 16.

The qualifying process will uncover national champions, who then will advance to the finals in Praia Grande on July 9, where Neymar Jr grew up, started his professional career and recently founded Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr, which offers extracurricular educational and sporting activities to the most socially disadvantaged children the community. The winning team will also be his guests at a match at “Camp Nou” in Barcelona, Spain.

When the Brazil captain was asked for his fantasy squad if he was able to join this tournament, he picked Barcelona club teammates Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Dani Alves, plus Brazilian colleague, Thiago Silva.

“I always dreamed of putting on my own signature tournament and invite the best teams over to my hometown,” continued Neymar Jr. “This finally becomes a reality so I’m really looking forward to see what these players can do – and have a great time doing it.”

Recently, Neymar Jr. also expressed an interest in one day playing in the USA and the Neymar Jr’s Five tournament is a first approach to being more involved here in the States.

‘It’s tough to say if I want to play in other countries… nobody knows about tomorrow, but I’m very happy where I am right now, at Barcelona,” Neymar Jr. explains to redbull.com. “I have the will to go back to Brazil some day and I also would like to play in the USA… those two countries are two places where I want to play later in my career.”