Neymar is a Brazilian soccer star whose theatrical diving during the 2018 World Cup turned his name into internet shorthand for exaggerated falls on the pitch.

Where did Neymar come from?

The diving meme took off during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, when he spent nearly 14 minutes on the ground across four Brazil matches.

What does Neymar mean?

As a verb, 'to neymar' means to collapse dramatically as if fouled, whether or not any physical contact happened.

How do you use Neymar?

Fans drop 'neymar' as slang for any over-the-top footballer flop and share compilation videos of his tumbles set to slapstick audio.

Is Neymar still popular?

Diving jokes still surface in football meme circles years after 2018, and Swiss youth teams famously added a 'Neymar drill' to their training that summer.

Neymar

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Published September 8, 2026

Neymar is the Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, whose theatrical diving during the 2018 FIFA World Cup turned his name into a verb for exaggerated falls on the pitch. His 13 minutes and 50 seconds spent rolling on the grass across four group-stage games spawned parody compilations, a Swiss youth team's 'Neymar drill,' and a widely shared player-diving meme.

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Overview

The Neymar meme centers on his over-the-top writhing and rolling after minor contact, a habit fans and pundits mocked throughout the 2018 tournament1. Compilation videos set his tumbles to circus music and slow-motion replays, framing each fall as a swimming stroke or a wrestling move2. Urban Dictionary lists 'to neymar' as a verb meaning to fall down in an exaggerated manner whether or not there was any contact5.

The joke works because Neymar's actual talent isn't in dispute. He moved from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a record fee of €222 million, roughly $260 million USD at the time4. That mismatch between his elite skill and his theatrical falls is what fuels the mockery.

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Origin & Background

Platform

YouTube / Twitter (viral spread)

Date

2018

Neymar's diving reputation existed before 2018, but the meme crystallized during Brazil's run at that year's World Cup1. He spent 13 minutes and 50 seconds on the ground across four matches, a tally The Guardian first counted and USA Today amplified1. In the group stage against Costa Rica he was awarded a penalty for a blatant dive in the box that VAR later reversed1. After the round of 16, Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio said he worried that Neymar's antics would corrupt young soccer players3.

How It Spread

The meme hit its peak when a Swiss youth team was filmed running a 'Neymar drill,' with players sprinting forward, throwing themselves down and rolling around clutching their shins1. The clip was picked up by Daily Dot3, Deadspin7, and USA Today's FTW1, with writers pointing out that the video seemed to prove Osorio's warning correct3.

A second wave of edits landed on YouTube, where compilation channels stitched Neymar's tumbles together with slapstick sound design and captions comparing him to figure skaters and divers2. The verb 'to neymar' spread through soccer Twitter and drifted into casual sports commentary, with Urban Dictionary describing him as 'a land dolphin' and 'a professional at rolling on the ground for no reason'5. Know Your Meme cataloged the diving jokes alongside older material from Neymar's 2014 #WeAreAllMonkeys anti-racism campaign, which had raised his Instagram profile years before the diving compilations took hold4.

How to Use This Meme

Neymar-style content typically loops a clip of him going down, overlays circus, swimming-competition or wrestling audio, and adds a caption comparing him to a diver, dolphin, or gymnast6. The verb form drops into commentary on any player who milks a foul, as in 'stop neymar-ing.'