Neymar Retires from International Football Following Norway Shock

Photo by Samuel Costa Melo on Unsplash

Neymar started life for Brazil’s national team at the MetLife Stadium, and finished it there. At 34 years old, Neymar has retired from international football following Brazil’s Round of 16 defeat to Norway. The forward’s first international cap was a friendly against USA in 2010. 16 years later, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has declared his time with Brazil “now over.”

Neymar at World Cup 2026

It had been one of the most hotly debated subjects in Brazil: whether Carlo Ancelotti would call up the Santos attacker. The coach decided that Neymar’s talent – whether it would be seen for 30 minutes, 5 minutes, or merely a penalty kick, as Ancelotti suggested – was too great to discard.

In the end, a penalty kick was Neymar’s one important contribution. But Brazil were already 2-0 down to Norway, and Neymar’s penalty was nothing but a consolation goal. He struggled with a calf injury throughout the tournament and only featured for 15 minutes against Scotland in the group stage.

Neymar retires as Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer.

Neymar’s turbulent career

Neymar has always been one of football’s most headline-grabbing stars. His time at PSG was mostly seen as a failure, in the sense that the club failed to win their much-craved Champions League during his time there. The three-man attack of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi was often criticised for their failure to defend in the knockouts.

Football and betting have become increasingly linked throughout Neymar’s career: many clubs’ shirt sponsors are betting platforms, as are the advertisements that surround pitches. Sportsbooks are often hosted on the same platforms as casinos, such as an online casino Malawi based. Neymar in particular has been associated with betting due to his poker days at PSG. One famous incident, where the attacker lost a seven-figure sum in an online game, led him to cursing on-screen. Neymar joked that he would put the video on YouTube and pretended to cry.

Brazil’s future under Carlo Ancelotti

Neymar’s retirement from international football comes as part of a transition period for Brazil, with other aging stars on their way out. Their captain, Marquinhos, urged the fans to have “patience with the new generation”.

In their home country, Brazil were blasted by fans and the media. Neto, a former international, said the current generation had “won **** all”, before acknowledging that six players had won a Copa America. He called their performance against Norway “embarrassing”.

Globoesporte’s Cahê Mota criticised Ancelotti’s substitutions and counter-attacking tactics. He wrote that there was no injustice in the result.

There were calls for Ancelotti to be sacked following the defeat. The coach’s handling of Neymar has been controversial. Many were in favour of his call-up, but Mauro Cezar Pereira – one of Brazil’s leading pundits – was among those who said bringing Neymar on as the centre-forward cost them the game. That decision, Mauro wrote, meant Norway had more possession and the new frontline of Neymar, Endrick, and Vinícius Junior could not fight for the ball.

Brazil’s tournament was not what fans expected, which is always a title, but they did not fall to weak opposition. Norway were not easy opponents. Erling Haaland, Player of the Match, scored a brace late in the game and, at the time, moved the forward level with Mbappe and Messi in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot. In the next round, Norway made life difficult for England and went 1-0 up, before eventually falling in extra time.