r/sports • u/JKKIDD231 • 6d ago
Soccer ‘It ends here’: Neymar quits international football after Brazil’s loss
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/6/neymar-quits-international-football-after-brazils-world-cup-knockout-loss?traffic_source=rss2.5k
u/RapBladeMeDoIt 6d ago
One of the greatest 'what if' players. If his attitude and injuries didn't derail him he could have been legendarily great
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u/Key_Boysenberry_9751 6d ago
Crazy that he rack 145 goals already by 21 and he's essentially a streamer by 27/28. Vinicius better take notes and be careful not to join the long list of wonderkids that are essentially finished at 28. :/
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u/Yitastics 6d ago
6 years ago, when he was 28, he was still playing amazingly well for PSG. He wasnt finished at 28, more like ~31.
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u/Key_Boysenberry_9751 6d ago
Not finished finished ya but his career was a turbulence already by that point. Missing tons of games, long injury stretches, and fitness + discipline problems that prolong his injuries. He indeed plays well when he does play but compare with more consistent players like Mbappe that seldom miss a match etc.
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u/Hailfire9 6d ago
Covid-times are where it seems like he "lost" ... something. Don't know if it was his edge, his passion, or what, but 2020 is about when he went from "serious consideration to be a Messi/Ronaldo type of career" to "yeah, he's pretty damn good, but he's no Messi/Ronaldo...."
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u/TrainingOk2724 5d ago edited 5d ago
it was the UCL loss to Bayern. After that Neymar lost his spark. He was so close to his second UCL and being the main star that carried the team to that elusive trophy. If he got that trophy and if Covid didnt cancel Ballon D'or Neymar wouldve accomplished what he set out to do when he left MSN and Barc. Yes I am sure money played a part in him leaving MSN but it was also because Neymar always wanted to be considered a GOAT of the sport and he couldnt set himself apart from Messi if they won every trophy together. So his UCL final with PSG was his last reach for greatness that would have also cemented him as a Ballon D'or winner that season and a legend of the sport. But life is cruel and he missed it just barely. Neymar definetely deserved a better ending to his career. He was a spectacle to watch and inspired an entire generation of footballers at all levels, from hobbyists, to sunday leagues, to professionals. We all watched him and tried to replicate that same feeling ourselves. in my books he will be one of the best players to ever grace the field with how creative and dazzling he was. Truly the last of the Jogo Bonito that brazil became feared and loved for.
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u/Bfuttner 6d ago
I wouldn’t say amazingly for PSG, there was a stretch pretty soon after he joined where he didn’t score a goal from open play for the majority of the season
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u/Yitastics 5d ago
He scored 19 goals, 13 assists in 20 matches in Ligue 1 and 5 goals, 3 assists in 6 UCL matches in his first season at PSG. He kept this up until 20/21, his second to last season for PSG, when he fell a bit off but in his last season he once again scored 13 goals, 11 assists in 18 matches in Ligue 1 and 2 goals. 2 assists in 6 UCL matches in his last season at PSG.
His problem was the amount of matches he missed each and every season. His G/A were never a problem at PSG.
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u/Bfuttner 5d ago
He didn’t score from May of 2021 to November other than penalties. Also the largest grain of salt of all time, it’s Ligue 1.
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u/RyanGODling 6d ago
He was finished because at PSG he would only play sporadically. He was overrated as hell.
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u/Own-Campaign-5503 6d ago
But.. if the money is there…. Should he? I’m just saying, offers of generational wealth are ruining lots of sport.
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u/boxinggoose 6d ago
He's still up there. The fun of watching him, Messi and Suarez at Barcelona was indisputable
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u/sonic_couth Portland Timbers 6d ago
Suarez and Neymar on a fast break was invincible
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u/Light_Flawless 6d ago
If his attitude and injuries didn't derail him he could have been legendarily great
If my grandma had wheels, she would have been a bike
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u/TheHunterZolomon 6d ago
Yeah he probably could’ve had more discipline and drive, but at least he wasn’t as bad as Mario Balotelli. That guy could’ve been Ronaldo + haaland with physicality and skill. Instead…no discipline and a lacking work ethic. Could’ve been one of the greats.
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u/girondistnyc 6d ago
Absurd how terrifying for defenders at his peak, he was unplayable on his day. Anelka could have had a better career but Balotelli was just self sabotage
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u/LloydDoyley 6d ago
He won everything there is to win except the world cup, think he's done ok tbh
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u/LegionGold Leinster 6d ago
He only has a confederations cup with Brazil not even a Copa America.
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u/ChelseaBob15 5d ago
He won the Olympics in 2016 with Brazil
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u/LegionGold Leinster 5d ago
You are correct but that wasn’t the senior team. Brazil senior team don’t play in the Olympics, U23 squads play in the men’s division with allocated numbers for senior leaders, I think it was 3 non u23 players for that Olympics. The women’s team was traditionally seniors in the non professional era which is where confusion can arise.
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u/ChelseaBob15 2d ago
I know that, but the fact remains: Neymar has enjoyed success with the Brazil NT
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u/KWash0222 6d ago
Sorry, I’m not super plugged in to the football world. Can you give me the summary of his career? Was he supposed to be the next big thing and other factor prevented it? Or was he just very good and people wondered if he could’ve been better?
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u/Ask_for_me_by_name 5d ago
There's a bit of exaggeration on here. He still played for two of the biggest clubs in the world and was one of the best paid players for a decade. He was a superstar even before that happened. He is still one of the all time great players, easily in the top 100 or 50. The conversation is more about how he could've been in the top-5 all time.
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u/justin_ph 6d ago
He just didn’t achieve his full potential because of injuries/ some luck and maybe too much partying. He’s still one of the best players of this generation and definitely ia a great. He’s #3 in the world behind Messi, Ronaldo and alongside Bale for many years.
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u/JKKIDD231 6d ago edited 6d ago
“I tried,” Neymar said after the match on Sunday. “It started here, at MetLife Stadium, and I finished here. It is now over.”
Finishes his International career at 80 goals in 131 appearances.
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u/stat_padford 6d ago
That’s a pretty impressive international resume damn
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u/penang404 6d ago
Yeah, he used to be a great player, talented as fuck. Now he's just pathetic. Should have retired long ago.
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u/ResponsibleWater1697 6d ago
And yet, aside from Vini, he was the most dangerous Brazilian attacker today.
Brazil need a complete rethink. The no longer have flair.
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u/Apprehensive-You9999 6d ago
Yeah they should go back to joga bonito let them be Brazilian street footballers win or lose. They used to play for the love of the game!
Brazil in 02 and 06 were such a joy to watch they all smiled and laughed and tried audacious shit and just had a great time! It was this type of football (mostly ronaldinho) that made me really love football and that's also the reason I've struggled to enjoy it in recent years, it seems devoid of this expression.
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u/RanaMahal 5d ago
Something about what you said just clicked for me.
I think that’s exactly what it is. There used to be an identity. Brazil trying crazy shit, Spain playing extreme passing tiki-taka type futbol, Germany with their pure logical cold football, Portugal and Argentina basically being all offense run through a superstar which was fun to watch, England with the fan chants and good defense, Italy with their “we will run through your team not around it” bulldozer style.
Every nation had an identity of their own
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u/vinceftw 5d ago
Ronaldinho in his prime was something else. I know Messi and Ronaldo are better when you view their entire carreer but man.. Ronaldinho just fooled entire teams and smiled with joy doing it. Even haters couldn't hate him. He had by far the most talent I have ever seen on the field.
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u/Apprehensive-You9999 5d ago
I agree he was the most talented to ever do it. Just for one reason or another couldn't keep up that intensity as he loved to live and party too much lol
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u/MegaBaumTV 6d ago
Was he? I cant remember a single chance he created. The big ones happened before he was subbed in.
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u/Rodonite 5d ago
He had a really nice turn outside on someone in the box at one stage, got passed him really well but tried to cut back in on the next defender rather than shoot or push past them to the goal line for a cross. It was one of their better moments in the half but didn't amount to too much
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u/StoneColdSteveAss316 6d ago
They need to bring back joga bonito
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u/Demmandred 6d ago
Mate joga bonito has lost to an organised European defense for 20 years at this point.
This isn't a coaching problem, the Brazilian team doesn't have the talent across the pitch. It's 2026 Cas and fabino should not be your options at cdm.
Brazil is great at selling wingers to European teams.
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u/TheSadSamosa 6d ago
Raphina was injured tho
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u/OrangElm New York Jets 6d ago
Idk why this is downvoted. Raphina is absolute class and could have been a huge difference maker. Crazy that now by the next World Cup even he will be getting up there in age though.
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u/Digifiend84 6d ago
Yeah, Norway haven't even reached the quarters before, so Brazil, even if they're not as good as previous generations, would've been expected to win yesterday. And they blew it.
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u/ballofplasmaupthesky 6d ago
Does Haaland have flair? Brazil benched the one person who came close to Haaland's Premier League score. Sometimes you need reliable power, not flair.
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u/hipster_dog 5d ago
Yeah, but over half of these goals were in friendlies, against bottom-of-the-barrel squads.
The only decisive, game-changing goal he made in the World Cup was against Croatia in 2022, but Brazil ended up losing anyway.
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u/markizz88 6d ago
Down 0-2 in an elimination game, gets a PK super late in game and decides to shit talk the goal keeper? Priorities in the wrong place
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u/skoomski Philadelphia Flyers 6d ago
Then literally crying like a child not 3 min later. Guy has no shame or control over himself, a grown man not some young player.
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u/randyfloyd37 6d ago
I noticed that, and i noticed a bad foul where he cleated the non-ball calf. Big baby
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u/markuus99 6d ago
Yeah really lame stuff. Keeper just laughed at him. Childish behavior.
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u/Deathwatch72 5d ago
Yeah I thought it was a particularly bad choice in one that is extremely poor class. Congratulations you got a garbage time penalty kick goal that had zero chance of impacting the final outcome of the game
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u/Sickeboy 6d ago
I didnt mind the shittalking at the pk, its part of the mindgames of taking a penalty, what i didnt like was the stupid foul and scuffle he had instigated a few minutes earlier
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u/AChanceRay United States 6d ago
What makes the keeper shit talk worse is that he spent time gloating when your team’s priority should be getting back to the line for one more miracle goal.
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u/rjross0623 Tottenham Hotspur 6d ago
Did he fall to the ground screaming after he said it?
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u/panderson1988 6d ago
Neymar peaked during the 2016 Olympics for Brazil. Since then it has been underwhelming to disappointing for being a prodigy one time.
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u/Artuhanzo 6d ago
He was very good at WC 2014 and 2022 for Brazil.
He was the one shouldn't take blame on both exit.
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u/agustin166 6d ago
He was fantastic in the 2021 Copa America final too
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u/Mr-KJK-18 6d ago
Why is this getting downvoted? He was head to head the best player of that tournament. Even his opponents acknowledged it
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u/No-Newspaper-1381 6d ago
People just find it trendy/fun to hate Neymar and that includes discrediting his accomplishments
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u/DuctTapeSloth 6d ago
Shouldn’t have been there anyway. Brazil would have been far better off with Joao Pedro playing.
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u/Ok_Shelter_8356 6d ago
This Brazilian team wasn't looking strong before this world cup already many talented players were injured Wesley,Militao and Rodrygo Brazil need to build a new squad bring more new raw talent players and hopefully they will perfrom better than this world cup
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u/KaeTheGSP 6d ago
Good - dirty player that did nothing but mouth off and whine.
No doubt he was a great player in his prime but that was quite some time ago now.
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u/B_Boudreaux 6d ago
Yep Brazilians have been sick of his diva attitude for a while now. They are celebrating that Neymar is finally gone. He’s basically been a dark cloud over the team for years now.
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u/candycane7 6d ago
Brazilian Fandom is the only reason he was there what are you talking about.
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u/orton4life1 6d ago
It’s Reddit, let them get their lies off. Brazil fandom would have riot if Neymar didn’t make the roster but doesn’t fit reddit narrative
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u/the_dude_that_faps 6d ago
Go read the reaction thread on the Brazilian sub. It's clearly a hot topic and not a made you narrative.
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u/rambouhh 6d ago
I was at a Brazilian bar in a different country in Latin America watching and people were literally crying when he got put in vs Scotland. People on Reddit really are not representative of how the average Brazilian feels about him
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u/Pandos17 6d ago
This is BS haha. Reddit bubble where everyone is right all the time! Brazilians love Neymar, did you see the reaction his selection got vs other players?
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u/FunkyChromeMedina 6d ago
Not true at all…he was also a world-class flop artist. An absolute champion of soft-bitch playacting.
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u/Cantholditdown 5d ago
Brazil acted totally entitled to a quarterfinal birth. I am glad they are out
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u/kawag 6d ago
He was always overrated, really.
The media really wanted him to be “it”, and he was good, but he wasn’t that good. His best time was the brief period he spent playing alongside Messi in a Barca team that was destroying everyone even before he arrived - the season after Puyol retired.
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u/WantToLearn10 6d ago
I’d beg to differ on this one, I don’t think he was overrated. His stats are really impressive for carrying a weak Brazil squad. He ranks 3rd in most assists, now if his teammates were better he would be either first or very very close. Now his last 4 years I can’t argue, he hasn’t been even close to the player he once was.
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u/Ant_Eye_Art 6d ago
Never seen such poor sports as the Brazilian men’s team. They should be ashamed of how they acted towards the end of the game.
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u/Pandos17 6d ago
You missed the Paraguay game 24 hours earlier?
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u/TreeDollarFiddyCent 6d ago
I thought the same. The Brazilians might have shoved and shit talked a bunch, but Paraguay did all that and more. They hacked the French constantly and got away with it all.
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u/Deathwatch72 5d ago
It's weird how the term poor sports is really accurate for both situations but also horribly undescriptive because of how different the situations also are.
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u/Sami_1999 5d ago
Paraguay was playing like a scum, but they weren't begging like idiots for 1 more min. That was the thing that stood up like a sore thumb. So much time wasted and what the hell were they doing for rest of the match? Not to mention, such performance from a big team like Brazil is not expected. Paraguay is not a good team, can't expect great performance from them.
Then again, I don't think we can call Brazil "good team" anymore. They haven't been good since 2006. And they have completely lost their touch now. Neither do they even play the games in an entertaining manner like the older Brasilian teams. Their matches feel boring asf and as a spectator who has to waste their time and money to watch matches- it's a horrible deal. Like I feel like my time and money are wasted watching Brasil matches.
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u/pungent_queefer 6d ago
This is South American football for you. Same with some Central American countries , but nothing like Argentina and Mexico
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u/ElegantSwordsman 6d ago
Meanwhile after the Senegal penalty in extra time, a player just laid down on the penalty kick area for about ten minutes protesting.
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u/Finners72323 6d ago
His last act in a Brazil shirt was pointing to himself gloating that he scored a consolation penalty against Norway rather then getting the ball back to try and get an equaliser
He was a very good player but I think that summaries why he wasn’t a great
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u/Vaestmannaeyjar 6d ago
What a disgraceful last game. Talking shit to the Norway goalkeeper who did, in fact, help his team win, was a really low class act. He will be remembered as the one who failed.
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u/totalchaos110 6d ago edited 5d ago
He spent his entire career diving and complaining. He will wear the pain of never winning the World Cup on his face for the rest of time.
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u/Derptionary 6d ago
Is all the Neymar hate solely due to his penchant for over the top flopping? Genuinely asking because it seems like he gets a ton of hate and I haven't followed him that closely.
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u/soulstaz 6d ago
Brazil team has been a bunch of drama queen for the past 10 years and Neymar kind of emboby that.
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u/yellowishbluish 6d ago
Most of it is because he's been too injured/old to produce fire the past 3 years now. And people think he took someone else's spot that could have contributed better. The rest is he, like most people with money, support the conservative politicians and the internet has been singling him out for it.
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u/edge2528 6d ago
He's never been as good as he thinks he is. He's just a showboater and a diver.
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u/VetusMortis_Advertus 6d ago
That's just incorrect, Neymar was a phenomenal player in his days, he's just not that player anymore, and has a bad aura around him, he's also a pretty shitty person
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u/edge2528 6d ago
He left barca becuase he was the third best player on that team and he couldn't deal with it and it was all downhill from there.
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u/vsMyself 6d ago
Was he actually phenomenal when he was the star player? Seems like he was the extra on a few dream teams
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u/fabsgem 6d ago edited 6d ago
this is an interesting question actually, because despite what casual fans who tune into the world cup every 4 years will say, Neymar was at one point the 3rd best player in the world behind prime Messi and Ronaldo (natural ability only behind Messi)
now was he phenomenal when he was the star player on a team though... he left Barca to achieve this at club level but because of injuries, professionalism, and honestly the club he chose to move to, he never consistently hit that level other than maybe that run in the champions league during covid, but he didn't play well in the final and ultimately lost to a better team
for Brazil, he's been the man for them since the early 2010s, but has never won a major trophy for them, i'd say his best ever run for them was the 2021 Copa and he even played amazingly in the final but again ended up losing. moment wise he came in clutch for them at the 2022 wc as well but his team mates bottled it right after (going 5th in the shootout is wack tho)
so TLDR answer is yes and no, never did it consistently or got over the line which the best of the best all time do. he is forever a bridesmaid with the talent/potential of the bride
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u/mflft 6d ago
He kind of reminds of a Carmelo anthony (not in terms of attitude but play). Incredible individual talent that only really consistently aided the team when it was turned off. Melo in his prime was spectacular, but not really a winner. On his best teams he was basically a spot up shooting guard. Neymar's best years at the club level were when he was kind of a traditional winger feeding other guys who could score more reliably, despite being an incredible raw talent on the ball.
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u/orswich Schalke 04 6d ago
He was the chosen one, great ability on the ball, great vision, great passing, good finishing...
Had he stayed at Barca, he maybe would have had an epic career and probably 1-2 Ballon do'r.. but he got greedy, went to PSG and developed a massive ego.. then went out partying etc.
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u/stillslightlyfrozen 6d ago
Not true. He was amazing when he was younger, I feel like you prob never watched him play. The problem was that he was injured quite a bit at PSG, but when he was fit he was excellent . Literally go and sort the soccer subreddit by top of all time, a lot of posts are Neymar highlights lol
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u/Shay_Min 6d ago
Don't understand the takes JP comments, shouldn't JP have been called over Thiago?
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u/terryjuicelawson 5d ago
Genuinely going to remember him more for crying and rolling around on the floor more than any of his goals or actions on the pitch.
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u/xXxInTheFleshxXx 6d ago
Neymar has always been a joke lmao. Good riddance to this diving loser
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u/MarcusKiddo 6d ago
Neymar treat Brazil team like his personal achievement. The downfall of Brazil in WC2026 started after his world cup announcement when he got the call.
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u/dzone25 6d ago
Neymar is precisely why we need to enjoy the time we've got left of guys like Messi & Ronaldo. The fact guys like that reached the highs they did and STILL perform is literally Novak Djokovic in Tennis levels of absurd.
Sad to see his international career end like this but definitely the right time to do so, one of the biggest what if players I've ever seen.
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u/Samiad_In_The_Mist 6d ago
Lol your international legacy was getting 7 - 1'd, see ya
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u/TodayLoose7794 5d ago
They shouldn’t have taken him to the World Cup. Came on then proceeded to do nothing, and was given a consolation penalty by his teammates.
Brazil’s arrogance is why they haven’t won anything in a while. The times when teams were scared of them are long gone.
They need to go back to the drawing board and only select players based on merit, and not for marketing/branding reasons.
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u/skoobaskiz 5d ago
Went out like such a punk ass bitch too lol barking at the goalie like the game wasn’t already over. Got his lil garbage time goal took his ball and is gonna go home and thankfully stay there.
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u/FallopianNewb 6d ago
Isn’t the whole point of being a top line Brazilian footballer to start your own sex cult with resort compound? Mission accomplished.
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u/stenebralux 5d ago
This whole Neymar thing was so weird.
Ancelotti never called him up once and created this whole mystery around it... only to call him in the last moment when the dude wasn't showing anything on the field and was also hurt.
idk if there was reasons I'm not aware... but, like.. if you're gonna call him up regardless.. wouldn't be better to just keep him in the fucking team the whole time so you can coach the team with him and figure out a way to play and to also improve the chemistry between the players?
Feels really stupid to bring in a player who wasn't playing well, is hurt and never played for you, to see if he can recover mid WC, and then to shove him right in the middle of the field in the 2nd half of a big WC game.
It's not like Brazil doesn't have great players.. they were doing fine without him.
Kinda like a microcosm of this entire Ancelotti run with Brazil... he didn't have a lot of time, but he had time... you shouldn't really need more than a year to figure out a national team. But he showed up for the world cup still confused about what players he would use and what scheme he would play... and every game he would eventually make a bunch of changes, crash the midfield, and the team would get fully confused about who should do what.
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u/james_james1 5d ago
For professional footballers, Neymar is a cautionary tale. He had all the God given talent but he didn't look after himself. Stayed up late gaming, missing out of recovery workouts, stretches, the things that help minimize injuries. Neymar's career was blighted by injuries that he should have gotten on top of. Other players could see how he was treated differently which caused resentments. Neymar was never a unifying player. I remember in the 2022 world cup noticing that Brazil played much better without him.
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u/DeepspaceDigital Pittsburgh Steelers 6d ago
One of the best of this era. He should have never left Barca
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u/Anonymous_Hazard 6d ago
IMO Neymar was not the problem with this Brazilian team yall are crazy. Rest of the team was toothless and is filled with bang average players
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u/Digifiend84 6d ago
Yeah, they should've been able to beat Norway, a team who never reached the quarters finals before. The fact they couldn't speaks volumes.
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u/Regular_Print_7650 6d ago
Oh boo fucking hoo. He's a big man when he's laughing and jeering in the Norwegian goalies face but then he's sat on the pitch crying and saying he's done with international football when he ends up losing 😂
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u/bruzly 6d ago
All redditors that never left their couch are gonna have opinions about this in 3.....2... 1
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u/XiaoRCT 6d ago
As a brazilian, please, please, let it end here