His dream was to bring Brazil their sixth World Cup. But that dream remained unfulfilled. After losing to Norway and being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup, Neymar Junior announced he was bidding farewell not just to the tournament but to international football altogether.
As the final whistle sounded, the Brazilian superstar collapsed on the pitch at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He made no attempt to hide his tears. Teammates gathered around him to offer consolation, but it did little to ease the pain — this was not merely the loss of one match but the end of a long chapter in the Brazil jersey.
The five-time world champions were eliminated 2-1 by Norway in the round of 16. In added time, Neymar scored the team’s only goal from a penalty. But even that was not enough to avert defeat.
In an emotional post-match interview with broadcaster G TV, Neymar said: “I tried, I tried. But it all ends here. I started from here, and I end here.” He then confirmed that his journey in the Brazil jersey had come to an end.
In that moment of farewell, Neymar also turned the pages of memory. After the 2010 World Cup, it was during a tour of the United States that he first received a call-up to the national team under then-coach Mano Menezes. Nearly 16 years later, his international career ended on the same American soil.
This was Neymar’s fourth World Cup. He played in 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 — four tournaments, yet the World Cup trophy remained beyond his reach. In a long career, he won the Confederations Cup and Olympic gold, but football’s most coveted title eluded him.
He had hinted before the tournament that this could be his last. In the end, those words proved true. So after the final whistle against Norway, Neymar’s tears were not just the frustration of losing one match — they were the pain of unfulfilled dreams, a World Cup that slipped away, and a farewell to international football.
Neymar Junior — Brazil’s all-time top scorer, the hero of a generation of football lovers. Through his farewell, a bright chapter in the Selecao’s football has also come to a close.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report