Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer and 34-year-old football star, confirmed he will no longer play for the Brazil national team after Santos defeated Universidad Central 4-2 in a Copa Sudamericana match on July 28, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].
The forward said, "I think my time with the national team has already passed. I made history there, and I'm very happy about it. I experienced a lot there, gave my blood and my life, and always fought and battled for the yellow jersey. But I don't think I want it anymore." He made these remarks after the match, reaffirming earlier comments he made shortly after Brazil's 2-1 loss to Norway in the World Cup round of 16 on July 5, 2026, where he said, "I tried, I tried. Now it's over." [1, 2, 3, 4]
The loss to Norway marked Brazil’s earliest exit in the World Cup since 1990, and Neymar was emotional after the defeat [1, 2, 3, 4]. During his international career, Neymar appeared 130 times for Brazil, scoring 80 goals and providing 58 assists, making him the country's all-time leading scorer [1, 2, 3, 4].
Despite a successful club career with Santos, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar won only one senior national team trophy—the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup [1, 2, 3, 4].
On the same day Neymar announced his retirement, Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti began his tenure as head coach of the Brazil national team. Ancelotti outlined plans to build a new squad focusing on young players while retaining some experienced members from the recent World Cup team. He said, "We will start building a new team, looking at and testing young players, but will not give up on some who have played in the World Cup and can still contribute a lot to the national team." [4]
The Brazil national team’s next matches under Ancelotti will provide the first test of the squad’s new direction following Neymar’s departure.
