KUCHING: Neymar Jr’s international career came to an emotional end on Sunday after Brazil’s World Cup dream was shattered by Norway, closing the chapter on one of the Selecao’s greatest players without the trophy he chased throughout his career.
The 34-year-old announced his retirement from Brazil duty moments after a 2-1 defeat in the World Cup round of 16, where Erling Haaland’s late brace sent the five-time champions crashing out despite Neymar’s stoppage-time penalty.
“I tried, I tried. Now it’s over, I started here, I finished here.” an emotional Neymar told Globo post-match at the MetLife Stadium in the United States after the final whistle.
The words carried a poignant symmetry. Neymar made his senior debut for Brazil against the United States at MetLife Stadium in August 2010, scoring his first international goal at the same venue.
Sixteen years later, he returned to the New Jersey stadium for one final appearance in the famous yellow shirt, where a remarkable international career came full circle.
His farewell came with one last contribution. Neymar calmly converted a penalty in the 100th minute to score his final goal for Brazil, but it proved only a consolation as Norway completed one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
The World Cup may have eluded him, but Neymar leaves the Selecao’s as the country’s all-time top scorer.
He retires with 80 goals in 129 appearances, surpassing Pelé’s long-standing record of 77 goals, while also finishing as Brazil’s all-time leader in assists (59) and goal contributions (139).
Across 16 years in the national team, Neymar carried Brazil through four World Cups and helped deliver some of the country’s most memorable moments.
He inspired the Seleção to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup title, winning the tournament’s Golden Ball, captained Brazil to its first-ever Olympic football gold at the Rio 2016 Games, claimed Olympic silver in London four years earlier and finished as a Copa América runner-up in 2021.
The one prize that escaped him was the one Brazilians cherish above all others. Yet a career cannot be measured by a single trophy alone.
Neymar leaves the international stage having rewritten Brazil’s record books and inspired a generation to play with freedom, flair and fearless imagination.
His greatest legacy is not simply the goals he scored or the honours he won, but the countless young footballers in Brazil and beyond who grew up believing they could play the game the way he did.
That influence will endure long after his final whistle in yellow and green.
