On the morning of November 27, 2016, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior survived a traffic accident in his Ferrari 458 Spider near the Catalan municipality of Sant Feliu de Llobregat in Spain without suffering any physical injuries. Driving toward the club’s training ground in heavy rain, the Brazilian international lost control of the sports car on wet asphalt, causing it to spin, face the wrong direction, and clip a roadside retaining wall with minor sheet-metal damage to the left side.
The Journey to the Training Facility and Immediate Assistance
The collision occurred at an expressway exit in the Baix Llobregat region during severe downpours across the Barcelona area. At the time of the crash, the forward was traveling to the Ciutat Esportiva de Sant Joan Despí training complex, where the squad was gathering ahead of a team flight out of El Prat Airport.
Immediately after the impact, Pepe Costa, then serving as the liaison between the professional squad and Barcelona’s club management, drove to the accident site to assist the player. Costa stayed behind to handle the administrative and bureaucratic formalities of the incident while Neymar was transported to the training ground to join the team for their scheduled trip to San Sebastián.
The Purchase of the Ferrari 458 Spider
The sports car involved in the collision had been acquired by the player in October 2015. At the time, the forward marked the acquisition with a post on Instagram, writing Thank God he gives me health and that with the fruit of my work I can fulfill another childhood dream !!
Valued at approximately £200,000—roughly $250,000 USD or 2 million reais at contemporary exchange rates—the Ferrari 458 Spider suffered only localized cosmetic damage during the spin on the wet Catalan highway.
Starting Lineup Appearance Against Real Sociedad
Because the Brazilian emerged from the crash completely uninjured, head coach Luis Enrique selected him for the starting lineup later that day for La Liga’s 13th round match against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián. The fixture kicked off at 20:45 CET on November 27, 2016.
The hosts took the lead in the 54th minute through a goal by Brazilian forward Willian José. Just six minutes later, Neymar directly engineered the equalizer by providing the assist for Argentine forward Lionel Messi in the 60th minute, sealing a 1:1 draw that the player completed by contesting the full 90 minutes.
Brazilian Forward Sets Champions League Assist Record
At that point in the 2016–2017 campaign, the wearer of the number 11 shirt had netted four goals across ten league appearances for the Catalan club. Alongside his domestic output, the Brazilian forward had also set a record by delivering seven assists during the group stage of the Champions League.
