Neymar hints his retirement date

It’s ‘World Cup or die‘ attitude for Neymar. The Brazilian star‘s wish to participate one last time at the football‘s biggest stage is well documented and all his teammates are rooting for him. The team‘s captain has struggled to keep himself fit in recent times while Brazil‘s manager Carlo Ancelotti clearly stated that only fit players will be invited to the World Cup team. Neymar obviously want‘s to bow out at the World Cup and is doing everything to achieve that goal. After that, anything is possible and everybody knows that.

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And for the first time, former Barcelona and PSG player hinted his possible retirement.

"I don't know what the future holds for me. It's possible that in December I'll want to retire. I'm living day by day. This year is crucial, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team and for me" he said in interview for CazeTV.

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Neymar hasn't played for the for the national team since October 2023 in a match against Uruguay during which he suffered a very serious knee injury. He was injured again after returning to Brazil to play for Santos in 2025 and had another knee surgery in order to be fit for the World Cup.

"I wanted to come back at 100% this season, which is why I was rested for some matches. I know a lot of people are saying all sorts of things and don't understand the day-to-day reality, but I have to face it. Santos has put an excellent plan in place regarding this. Of course, I wanted to come back to help my team, but in the end, I preferred to rest myself so I could come back at 100%, pain-free, fear-free, and in top form" he said.