Ibadan – Brazilian football icon Neymar Jr. has announced his retirement from international football, bringing the curtain down on a 16-year spell with the Seleção after Brazil’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 34-year-old Santos forward confirmed his decision after his team’s 4-2 win over Universidad Central in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana knockout round playoffs, ending months of speculation over a possible return to the national team, Foot-Africa reports.
“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,” Neymar told reporters.
Neymar’s final appearance for Brazil came in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Norway.
He converted a stoppage-time penalty, but the goal was not enough to prevent Brazil from crashing out with a 2-1 defeat, ending the country’s hopes of winning a sixth World Cup title.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star leaves the national team as Brazil’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer, having netted 80 goals to eclipse Pelé’s long-standing record of 77.
Since making his senior debut in 2010, Neymar featured in four FIFA World Cups, multiple Copa América tournaments, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the Olympic Games.
He was instrumental in Brazil’s triumph at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and captained the country to its maiden Olympic men’s football gold medal at the Rio 2016 Games.
Injuries, however, frequently hampered his international career, particularly at the World Cup. A grade two calf muscle injury sustained while playing for Santos ruled him out of Brazil’s opening two matches at the 2026 tournament.
He returned as a substitute in the team’s final group-stage match against Scotland before making another substitute appearance in the last-16 defeat to Norway, where he scored the final goal of his international career.
Neymar’s retirement signals the end of one of the most successful international careers in Brazilian football history and paves the way for a new generation of players to lead the five-time world champions into future competitions.
