Neymar Says 'It's Over Now' and Leaves the National Team With His Future Uncertain
Eliminated by Norway in the round of 16, Neymar hints at farewell to the Seleção. Santos awaits a conversation about his future while the star rests in the US with his family.
He made his Seleção debut in 2010 and closed the chapter on the same stage, 16 years later. The 2–1 defeat to Norway in the World Cup round of 16 was, in Neymar's own words, the final whistle on the yellow shirt. "I tried, I tried. It's over now. I started here, I finished here," the No. 10 told ge tv moments after the final whistle.
The words carried weight. And he wasn't the only one who spoke.
On social media, Neymar's father posted an emotional message urging his son not to hang up his boots. "Son, keep playing football. Find joy with the ball at your feet again," he wrote — the plea of a father who watched his son walk out of a World Cup at 34, with the long-awaited sixth title still out of reach.
Meanwhile, Santos is watching from a distance. The club gave the forward permission to rest with his family in the United States and, according to ge, is waiting for a signal from the player and his entourage before scheduling any meeting. There is no set date for talks or for a potential return to the CT Rei Pelé training ground. The expectation is that Neymar will take at least ten days off.
Head coach Cuca is already working with the squad without factoring him in — Santos return to action on the 16th, away to Botafogo at the Engenhão, in the 19th round of the Brasileirão. Neymar, for now, is not part of that equation.
People close to the player, according to UOL Esporte, have not ruled out the possibility that he decides to retire. His future remains wide open: no World Cup, no national team, no defined plans.
An entire career built around winning that sixth star. And now, for the first time, the next chapter has no script.