Brazilian football superstar Neymar Jr. has officially announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to his 16-year career with the Brazil national team following the country’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 34-year-old Santos forward made the announcement after his club’s 4-2 victory over Universidad Central in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana knockout round playoffs.
Confirming his decision, Neymar said he had given everything he could while representing Brazil and would not return to the national team.
“My time with the national team is over. I made history, I was very happy, I gave my blood, my life. I always fought for the yellow jersey, but now I don’t want to anymore,” he said.
Neymar’s final appearance for Brazil came in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he scored a stoppage-time penalty against Norway. However, the goal was not enough to prevent Brazil from suffering a 2-1 defeat, ending their hopes of winning a sixth World Cup title.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward leaves international football as Brazil’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer, with 80 goals, surpassing the legendary Pelé’s record of 77.
Since making his senior debut in 2010, Neymar represented Brazil at four FIFA World Cups, multiple Copa América tournaments, the FIFA Confederations Cup, and the Olympic Games.
He played a key role in Brazil’s 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup triumph and captained the team to its first-ever Olympic men’s football gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Injuries, however, repeatedly hampered his World Cup campaigns. At the 2026 tournament, a grade two calf muscle injury ruled him out of Brazil’s opening two matches before he returned later in the competition, eventually scoring what became the final goal of his international career.
Neymar’s retirement marks the end of an era for Brazilian football as the five-time world champions prepare to usher in a new generation of players for future international competitions.
