Neymar bids farewell to Brazil after World Cup heartbreak, ‘I Tried, Now It’s Over’
Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, Neymar, has announced his retirement from international football following Brazil’s shock 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 34-year-old forward brought the curtain down on a remarkable 16-year international career after Brazil’s early exit from the tournament.
Neymar made his final appearance for the Selecao as a substitute at MetLife Stadium, the same venue where he made his Brazil debut in 2010. He scored a late penalty against Norway, but it proved only a consolation as Brazil crashed out.
An emotional Neymar struggled to hold back tears after the final whistle as teammates attempted to console him. Speaking after the match, he said: “I tried, I tried. Now it’s over. I started here; I finished here.”
Neymar retires as Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 80 goals in 129 international appearances. Despite ending his national team career, he is expected to continue playing club football with Santos FC while evaluating his future on a season-by-season basis.
The defeat extended Brazil’s long wait for a victory over European opposition in the World Cup knockout stages, with their last such win coming against Germany in the 2002 World Cup final. Brazil’s quest for a record sixth world title will now continue until at least 2030.
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti described the elimination as painful but insisted it should serve as motivation for the future.
“Everyone is deeply disappointed. I don’t think we had a spectacular World Cup, but we had a good one and even deserved to win today,” Ancelotti said. “This is not the end. It is the start of a new cycle.”
Norway sealed a historic victory thanks to two late goals from Erling Haaland, while Brazil’s early penalty opportunity was missed before Neymar converted a stoppage-time spot-kick in what became the final goal of his international career.
