"I tried. It started here at MetLife Stadium, and I finished here. It is now over." Neymar's words after Brazil's World Cup elimination sounded like a farewell — and they may have been exactly that.
The 34-year-old has already confirmed he's done with international football. Now reports out of Brazil suggest he's weighing up walking away from the game entirely, potentially not even seeing out his contract with boyhood club Santos. A decision, sources indicate, could come within days.
The father's plea
Neymar Sr. went public on social media with an emotional appeal to his son. "Rediscover the joy of having the ball at your feet. Smile again on the field. Today you are healthy. God has given you another chance to do what you've always loved."
It's a striking intervention — a father essentially saying: don't let a bad tournament define the end of your story. But the fact he felt the need to say it publicly tells you something about how serious the retirement talk really is.
Brazil went out in the Round of 16, beaten by a Norway side inspired by Erling Haaland. For a nation that entered as one of the genuine contenders for a record sixth title, it was a brutal early exit. Neymar's inclusion in Carlo Ancelotti's 26-man squad had been contentious from the start — and now his final chapter in yellow ends without the one trophy that would have defined his legacy.
Where the numbers leave him
130 caps. 80 international goals. Spells at Santos, Barcelona, PSG, and Al-Hilal. He went home to Santos last year and contributed 17 goals in 43 appearances — not a man playing out the clock, but one who clearly still had something left.
If he does retire, any remaining Santos odds — whether for the Brazilian title or Copa Libertadores qualification — shift overnight. A Neymar-less Santos is a very different proposition for anyone who's been watching their season.
He'll take time to reflect, according to those close to him. Whether that reflection leads him back to the pitch or away from it for good, his father's final words are hanging in the air: "Son, keep playing football."
