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Neymar broke the goalscoring record of the legendary Pelé for the Brazil national team, but he was left with one unfinished goal: winning the World Cup. At 34, the Santos number 10 confirmed his retirement from international play.
His fourth World Cup, North America 2026, ended in massive disappointment with the 2-1 defeat of Carlo Ancelotti's Scratch against Norway in the Round of 16.
"My time with the Brazilian Seleção has passed. I made history, I was very happy, I gave my blood and my life... but now I don't want it anymore," Neymar told reporters after Santos beat the Venezuelan club UCV 4-2 on Tuesday night in the Copa Sudamericana and advanced in the tournament.
Thus, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star confirmed the decision he had already hinted at when Brazil bit the dust against Erling Haaland's Norway on July 5 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
"It started here and it ended here," declared Neymar at the time, his voice choked with tears, at the same stadium where he made his debut for the Brazilian national team on October 10, 2010, in a 2-0 win over the United States in a friendly.
The top all-time scorer for the Canarinha, with 80 goals in 130 appearances, the attacker was called up for the World Cup after a long absence that began in October 2023.
He arrived at the tournament with a muscle injury, another link in the chain of physical problems that has plagued him in recent times, and only played 37 minutes across two matches.
His only goal, a penalty, came when the team was already doomed.
Récords, fracasos y el éxito olímpico de Neymar
Neymar's name is in the record books of the Brazil national team.
With his 80 goals, he surpassed the 77 scored by Pelé.
He also joins an exclusive club of footballers who have appeared in four World Cup editions wearing the yellow and green shirt, alongside Pelé himself, Nilton Santos, Cafu, and Ronaldo. The difference: his peers did lift the World Cup.
Brazil 2014 was his first participation, and a back injury from a challenge by the Colombian Juan Camilo Zúñiga in the quarterfinals knocked him out. Without him, his teammates were humiliated 7-1 in the semifinals at the hands of Germany, who would go on to win the championship.
Belgium knocked Brazil out in the quarterfinals of Russia 2018, and Croatia did the same at the same stage in Qatar 2022.
And North America 2026 marked the final point.
Neymar played 15 World Cup matches, with nine goals and four assists.
While the World Cup has eluded Brazil since 2002, when they won the last of their five titles, the star has the consolation of having been the protagonist in an unprecedented feat at the time: the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The Brazilian national team would paint itself gold again in Tokyo 2020.
Neymar also won the Confederations Cup with Brazil in 2013.
El futuro de Neymar
With his cycle with the Seleção closed, Neymar's future is on the table.
In December, his contract with Santos expires, as the team tries to avoid relegation in the Brazilian league.
After the Brasileirão break for the World Cup, Neymar reappeared over the weekend with two goals in a 2-2 draw for the Paulista team against last-place Chapecoense, although the number 10 continues to be dogged by controversy, as has become usual.
He was heavily criticized for participating in a poker tournament while his teammates were playing the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana playoff tie against UCV in Venezuela.
On Tuesday, he started on the bench for the return leg and entered the field after halftime, helping the team on its way to qualifying for the Round of 16.
For now, amid press reports about a possible retirement, his father and agent, Neymar Santos Sr., asked him to stay active.
"Son, keep playing soccer. Go back to feeling the joy with the ball at your feet," he wrote in an open letter on Instagram after the World Cup elimination.
[Publicidad]