"My time with national team is over": Neymar confirms Brazil retirement

As per 433's Instagram post, Neymar, after Santos' 4-2 victory over Venezuela's Universidad Central in the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday, said his international career with Brazil is over, adding that he believes he has made history with the national team. Reflecting on his journey, he said he gave everything for Brazil and the yellow jersey but no longer wishes to continue representing the country.

"My time with the national team is over. I believe I've made history there, and I was very happy. I lived so many things, gave my blood and my life, and always fought for the yellow jersey, but I think I don't want that anymore now," he said as per 433.

Neymar's remarks came just weeks after he hinted that Brazil's 2-1 Round of 16 defeat to Norway at the FIFA World Cup 2026 would likely mark his final appearance for the national team.

Brazil's hopes of winning a record-extending sixth FIFA World Cup title came to an end after Erling Haaland's late brace inspired Norway to victory, with Neymar's stoppage-time penalty serving only as a consolation.

After the loss, Neymar had told reporters, as quoted by ESPN UK, "I tried, I tried. Now it's over. I started here; I finished here."

Neymar's penalty, converted in the 10th minute of added time after Leo Ostigard was penalised for a foul on Casemiro, was his first goal of the tournament.

It also took his international tally to 80 goals and 59 assists in 130 appearances for Brazil, further extending his record as the nation's all-time leading scorer. With that, he finished his international career as the all-time leading scorer for Brazil.

During his time with the Selecao, Neymar helped the country lift the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 and won the Olympic gold medal on home soil at the Rio 2016 Games.

The veteran forward's participation in the 2026 World Cup had remained uncertain until the final stages of squad selection because of fitness concerns.

However, head coach Carlo Ancelotti included him in Brazil's 26-man squad, hoping his experience would inspire another deep run in the tournament.

Instead, Brazil's campaign ended in dramatic fashion. Norway, appearing in the knockout stages with growing confidence, absorbed sustained Brazilian pressure before Haaland broke the deadlock in the 79th minute with a towering header from Andreas Schjelderup's cross.

For Brazil, the defeat marked a seventh consecutive World Cup knockout loss to European opposition and their earliest World Cup exit since 1990, while Neymar's emotional farewell closed the chapter on an era that defined Brazilian football for more than a decade. (ANI)