Brazilian football star Neymar has avoided making any commitment about his future beyond the end of his contract with Santos, saying he will decide later whether to continue playing or step away from the game.
The 34-year-old forward, who remains under contract with his boyhood club until December, said he has not yet decided what comes next.
“When my contract ends, I will think about whether to stay at Santos, leave, or stop playing. I really don’t know what I will do,” Neymar said during a charity auction he hosted in Sao Paulo.
Neymar recently ended his international career with Brazil after the national team was eliminated by Norway in the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He scored Brazil’s only goal from the penalty spot in the 2-1 defeat before leaving the field in tears after the final whistle.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, who has struggled with repeated injuries in recent years, said he remains physically fit and is focused on taking his career “one game at a time.”
His father and agent, Neymar da Silva Santos, dismissed suggestions that retirement was imminent, joking that his son still loves football too much to walk away.
“Neymar loves playing football. What else would he do? He doesn’t have a medical degree yet, so he will continue playing,” his father said.
Despite his fitness concerns and criticism over his off-field activities, Neymar remains one of Brazil’s biggest football names. Santos are preparing for their upcoming Copa Sudamericana knockout match against Ecuador’s Macará.
