AFCON 2025
Brazil forward Neymar has cast doubt over his international future following Brazil’s FIFA World Cup elimination, admitting that the tournament may have marked the end of his journey with the Seleção.
The 34-year-old endured a difficult campaign after battling injury in a desperate bid to earn a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad. Although he recovered in time for the tournament, Neymar struggled to establish himself in the starting lineup as the coaching staff opted to ease him back into action.
He featured as a substitute during Brazil’s defeat, producing a lively cameo and coming close to scoring what would have been a consolation goal. However, the result brought a heartbreaking end to Brazil’s World Cup campaign.
Speaking after the match, an emotional Neymar suggested his international career could be over.
“I tried and tried, but now it’s over. I started here and I ended here.”
The comments have fueled speculation that the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has played his final match for Brazil after more than a decade of representing the five-time world champions.
Despite enjoying one of the most successful individual careers in football, Neymar’s trophy haul with Brazil has been relatively modest. He helped the Seleção win the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil and captained the country to Olympic gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics, but the FIFA World Cup title remained elusive.
Should his comments prove to be a retirement announcement, Neymar will bring the curtain down on one of the most celebrated international careers in Brazilian football history, leaving behind a legacy as the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer but without the World Cup triumph he long pursued.
