NEYMAR HINTS AT POSSIBLE RETIREMENT AFTER WORLD CUP
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By: Sefiu Ajape
Former Brazil captain Neymar has revealed he is considering retiring at the end of the year after struggling with injuries but hopes to feature at the World Cup before making a final decision.
The former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward returned to his boyhood club Santos FC in January 2025 from Saudi side Al-Hilal.
After a first season disrupted by injuries, he extended his contract until the end of 2026 but missed the start of the Brazilian season in January following knee surgery in late December.
“I don’t know what will happen from now on, I don’t know about next year,” the striker told Brazilian online channel Caze. “It may be that when December comes, I’ll want to retire. I’m living year to year now.”
He made his return as a second-half substitute in a São Paulo championship match on February 16, 11 days after his 34th birthday.
“Obviously, I wanted to come back to help my team in the best way possible, but I ended up holding back a little so I could come back 100 per cent,” he said.
Neymar remains Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals — two more than legendary forward Pelé — but has not featured for the national team since October 2023, when he sustained a serious knee injury against Uruguay.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has not called him up since taking charge last May.
“This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it’s a World Cup year, and for me too,” Neymar said. “So it’s a huge challenge.”
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