Neymar brought the curtain down on his Brazil career on Sunday, announcing his retirement from the national team in the immediate, raw aftermath of the country's shock World Cup exit. Brazil, five-time winners and among the pre-tournament favorites, had just been beaten 2-1 by Norway in the round of 16, with a double from Erling Haaland sending them home.
"It's over"
Speaking to Brazilian broadcaster Globo after the final whistle, an emotional Neymar said his time with the Seleção had come to an end. "I tried, I tried. Now, it's over. I started here; I finished here," he said, as ESPN reported.
His words pointed to a striking symmetry. Neymar had made his Brazil debut in 2010 at the same New Jersey stadium where Sunday's defeat unfolded, scoring against the United States in a friendly. Sixteen years later, in the same venue, his international story ended. In the loss to Norway, he had converted a stoppage-time penalty, a final goal in Brazil's colors that could not rescue the result.
A record-breaking career
Neymar leaves as Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer, having passed the great Pelé's long-standing national-team record. Across well over a decade with the Seleção, he combined that scoring with a haul of honors that included Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Games, where he helped deliver Brazil's first men's football gold, an Olympic silver at London 2012, and the 2013 Confederations Cup.
The World Cup, though, is the one prize that always eluded him. Injuries and near-misses defined his previous campaigns, and this tournament, on North American soil, had been widely seen as a possible last chance. Instead, it ended at the first knockout hurdle, Fox Sports reported.
The end of an era
Neymar's retirement is from international football only; he gave no indication of stepping away from the club game. But for Brazil, the departure of a player who has been the face of the national team for much of the past 15 years marks the close of an era, one that brought moments of brilliance and lasting records without the world title the country and its talisman craved. The task of rebuilding, and of finding the next generation to carry Brazil's expectations, now begins in the shadow of an early and painful exit.
