Neymar announces retirement from international football after FIFA World Cup elimination
PTC News Desk: Brazilian football star Neymar has announced his retirement from international football after Brazil's FIFA World Cup campaign ended with a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16.
The 34-year-old confirmed his decision shortly after the match, saying his 16-year journey with the Brazilian national team had come to an end.
The announcement followed an emotional night in New Jersey, where Brazil were knocked out despite Neymar scoring a penalty in stoppage time. Norway's victory was powered by two late goals from Erling Haaland.
After the match, Neymar said he had worked hard to recover from injury and return for one final World Cup, but accepted that his time with the national team was over.
The tournament was a challenging one for Neymar. He arrived carrying an injury and missed Brazil's opening matches before gradually returning to the squad under coach Carlo Ancelotti. Even after regaining fitness, he was mostly used as a substitute and made appearances against Scotland and Norway.
His final goal for Brazil came from the penalty spot against Norway, but it was not enough to prevent Brazil's exit from the tournament.
Neymar retires as Brazil's all-time leading men's goalscorer, with 80 goals in 129 international matches since making his senior debut in 2010.
Over four FIFA World Cups, he became the face of Brazilian football and carried the hopes of a nation aiming to win another world title. Although he never won the World Cup, Neymar enjoyed several major achievements with Brazil, including winning the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 and leading Brazil to Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after winning silver at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
- With inputs from agencies
