Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Neymar has announced his retirement from international football after Brazil’s FIFA World Cup campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16. The 34-year-old brought the curtain down on a glittering 16-year international career moments after the final whistle, saying his journey with the Selecao had reached its end.
The announcement came after an emotional night in New Jersey, where Brazil were stunned by Erling Haaland’s late brace despite Neymar scoring a stoppage-time penalty. Speaking after the defeat, an emotional Neymar admitted he had given everything to return for one final World Cup but accepted that his international story was now over.
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“I tried and tried, but now it’s over,” Neymar said.
“I started here and I ended here.”
The defeat marked a painful end to a tournament that had already tested Neymar physically. Having arrived at the World Cup carrying an injury, he missed Brazil’s opening matches before gradually working his way back into Carlo Ancelotti’s plans. Even after regaining fitness, however, the Brazilian superstar was largely used from the bench, making substitute appearances against Scotland and Norway.
His final goal in Brazil colours came from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time against Norway, but it proved little more than a consolation as the five-time world champions crashed out of the tournament.
A CAREER THAT REDEFINED A GENERATION
Neymar walks away as Brazil’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer, finishing with 80 goals in 129 international appearances after making his senior debut in 2010.
Across four FIFA World Cups, he became the face of Brazilian football for more than a decade, carrying the expectations of a nation desperate to reclaim the sport’s biggest prize. Although the World Cup ultimately eluded him, Neymar enjoyed memorable moments on the international stage, winning the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 before captaining Brazil to Olympic gold on home soil at Rio 2016 after previously claiming silver at the London Games in 2012.
His international journey was rarely straightforward.
Injuries repeatedly interrupted major tournaments, while the weight of expectation often followed him wherever Brazil played. Yet through it all, Neymar remained the focal point of the national team, producing moments of brilliance that cemented his place among the country’s greatest-ever footballers.
A PAINFUL FAREWELL
Neymar fought his way back from injury to make the World Cup squad, worked tirelessly to regain fitness and eventually returned to the pitch, only to watch Brazil fall at the first knockout hurdle.
When the final whistle sounded against Norway, Neymar stood motionless before emotion finally took over. Tears replaced words as teammates consoled the man who had carried Brazil’s hopes for much of the past decade.
The result also marked the end of Brazil’s campaign under Carlo Ancelotti, whose more pragmatic approach had guided the Selecao into the knockout stages before Norway produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
For Neymar, however, the defeat carried even greater significance.
His final touch in a Brazil shirt was a calmly converted penalty. His final appearance ended in tears.
While questions will continue over what might have been had injuries not interrupted key moments of his career, Neymar leaves the international stage having rewritten Brazil’s scoring records and inspired a generation of footballers.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
