Star Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr., who announced his retirement from international football following Brazil’s elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Sunday (July 5), could soon bring an end to
his professional playing career. According to reports in Brazil, the 34-year-old, who is only the second Brazilian after Pele to score in four different FIFA World Cup editions, could announce his retirement from football in the coming days.
According to UOL Esporte, Neymar has not ruled out retirement from club football and is expected to make a decision regarding his future in the coming days.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star is currently contracted with Santos FC until the end of the year.
It has been reported that Neymar is considering three options regarding his future.
One option is to continue playing for Santos until his contract expires. Another is to join a different club, while the third is to retire from professional football altogether. People close to Neymar have not ruled out the possibility of him bringing the curtain down on his illustrious career.
Neymar’s appearances and goals by club and season
| SEASON | CLUB | TOTAL MATCHES | TOTAL GOALS |
| 2009 | Santos | 48 | 14 |
| 2010 | Santos | 60 | 42 |
| 2011 | Santos | 47 | 24 |
| 2012 | Santos | 47 | 43 |
| 2013 | Santos | 23 | 13 |
| 2013–14 | FC Barcelona | 41 | 15 |
| 2014-15 | FC Barcelona | 51` | 39 |
| 2015-16 | FC Barcelona | 49 | 31 |
| 2016-17 | FC Barcelona | 45 | 20 |
| 2017-18 | Paris Saint-Germain | 30 | 28 |
| 2018-19 | Paris Saint-Germain | 28 | 23 |
| 2019-20 | Paris Saint-Germain | 27 | 19 |
| 2020-21 | Paris Saint-Germain | 31 | 17 |
| 2021-22 | Paris Saint-Germain | 28 | 13 |
| 2022-23 | Paris Saint-Germain | 29 | 18 |
| 2023-24 | Al Hilal | 5 | 1 |
| 2024-25 | Al Hilal | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | Santos | 28 | 11 |
| 2026 | Santos | 15 | 6 |
| Total | 634 | 377 |
Speculation surrounding his retirement intensified after Neymar’s father posted an emotional message to his son on social media, writing: “My request to you, Ney: keep playing football, please.”
Neymar in FIFA World Cup 2026
Neymar was named in Brazil’s FIFA World Cup 2026 squad by head coach Carlo Ancelotti in May, but an injury restricted him to just two appearances in the tournament. He came off the bench for the final 14 minutes of Brazil’s 3-0 win over Scotland and played the last half-hour of the team’s 2-1 Round of 16 defeat to Norway at New York New Jersey Stadium.
In his final international appearance for Brazil, Neymar scored from the penalty spot but could not prevent his side from suffering a shock defeat to Norway. Brazil’s all-time leading men’s international goalscorer finished his international career with 80 goals.
Goals by Neymar Jr in FIFA World Cup
| GOAL NUMER | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia | Arena Corinthians, São Paulo | June 12, 2024 |
| 2 | Croatia | Arena Corinthians, São Paulo | June 12, 2024 |
| 3 | Cameroon | Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília | June 23, 2024 |
| 4 | Cameroon | Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília | June 23, 2024 |
| 5 | Costa Rica | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg | June 22, 2018 |
| 6 | Mexico | Solidarnost Samara Arena, Samara | July 2, 2018 |
| 7 | South Korea | Stadium 974, Doha | December 5, 2022 |
| 8 | Croatia | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan | December 9, 2022 |
| 9 | Norway | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford | July 5, 2026 |
Across four FIFA World Cup editions—2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026—Neymar scored nine goals for Brazil. Four of those came in the 2014 tournament, while he netted twice each in the 2018 and 2022 editions before adding one more goal in 2026.
