WE FINISHED his journey with the national team at the stadium where the Brazilian superstar, Neymar Junior, started playing for.
This player (34) closed the penalty in the middle of the game when Brazil was defeated by Norway 2-1 at MetLife Stadium, in the city of New Jersey, United States.
The goals that put Norway in the quarterfinals came from striker Erling Haaland in the second half.
Neymar, who is considered one of the best players in the world, came to this World Cup with a leg injury. He did not play in the opening two group games but did feature in the final 3-0 win over Scotland.
He was also left out of the Last 32 defeating Japan 2-1, as he also came off the bench in the final against Norway.
He had played in the national team for 16 years. He scored a goal in a 2-0 victory over the United States in the same stadium where he said goodbye.
“I tried but it’s over. I started here in this stadium and I finished there,” said Neymar speaking to Globo television station.
Neymar played 130 games for the national team, scoring 80 goals, which is a record for this team. He leaves Brazil’s legend, Pele, with three goals.
He played in four World Cup tournaments, in 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026, and hit the net in all of them. In the 15 games he has played in these competitions, he has scored eight goals and contributed to the other four.
Although Neymar will no longer appear in the national team, his fans will still see him running in the Brazilian team where he first played, Santos, and returned to this one last year from Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia.
Before that, he made appearances in Europe playing for Barcelona of Spain and Paris Saint-Germain of France.