Neymar announces retirement from int’l football after Brazil’s World Cup exit
Brazilian international striker Neymar Junior has officially announced his retirement from international football, following his team’s heart breaking Round of 16 loss to the Norwegian national squad at the 2026 World Cup.
The Santos player who has not retired from professional club football scored a stoppage-time penalty to finish his international career as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 80 goals in 129 appearances.
He addressed his departure emotionally after the match, stating, “I tried. I tried. It started here at MetLife Stadium, and I finished here. It is now over”.
The talented winger who was visibly emotional after the final whistle, stated further; “I tried, I tried. Now, it’s over. I started here; I finished here.”
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Neymar who made his tournament debut as a late substitute against Scotland, followed by a final substitute appearance against Norway, where he scored deep in stoppage time from the penalty spot, missed all the group-stage matches against Morocco and Haiti.
The legendary international whose career began at the very same stadium in 2010, came on as a substitute and scored a stoppage-time penalty to become only the second Brazilian—alongside Pelé—to score in four different World Cups.
The player‘s final World Cup campaign under Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti was severely hampered by a right calf injury suffered in the month of May while playing for his Brazilian clubside Santos.
