Neymar has announced his retirement from Brazil duty. The legendary forward recently made the announcement following a shock World Cup exit at the hands of Norway.
Confirming that he will no longer represent his country, Neymar reflected on his journey with the national team, stressing the symmetry of his career ending where it began to reach its peak.
The Brazilian retires as his nation’s second all-time appearance maker, having carried the weight of the famous number 10 shirt through multiple tournament cycles and various tactical shifts.
His words, “I tried. I tried. It started here at Met Life Stadium, and I finished here. It is now over.”
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar Júnior or mononymously as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and playmaker, he is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and the best Brazilian player of his generation. Neymar has scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs, making him one of the few players to achieve this feat.
Neymar came into prominence at Santos, where he made his professional debut aged 17. Soon becoming the Brazilian’s league star player, he won the 2011 Copa Libertadores, being Santos’ first since 1963. He was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012, and relocated to Europe to join Barcelona in 2013.
In his second season, as part of Barcelona’s attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, dubbed MSN, he won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Motivated to be the focal player at club level, Neymar unexpectedly transferred to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017 for €222 million, which made him the most expensive player ever. In his debut season, he excelled in French football, winning the league title and being voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year.
Despite recurring injuries in Paris, he helped PSG attain an historic domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season, during which the club also reached its first ever Champions League final, with Neymar being named in the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time in his career.
