One of the greatest players in the world in recent decades, Neymar has announced his retirement from the Brazilian National Team. At 34 years old, the Santos star said that his time with the Seleção has come to an end.

Neymar with the National Team: records and few titles

And Neymar’s story with the Brazilian National Team jersey is marked by a constant mix of stardom, individual records, and intense pressure for major titles.

The first major chapter in this relationship occurred on the eve of the 2010 World Cup. In excellent form at Santos, the young striker was the focus of strong popular appeal and media pressure to be included in the squad heading to South Africa. However, coach Dunga chose not to call him up.

READ ALSO: Neymar voted best player of the Brasileirão round amid controversies

Neymar made his debut for the senior team right after the World Cup, in August 2010, under coach Mano Menezes. He even scored a header in the 2-0 win over the United States. From there, he claimed the number 10 shirt and the role of main hope of Brazilian football.

In terms of trophies for the senior National Team, his career saw few titles. The most significant highlight came at the 2013 Confederations Cup, held in Brazil, where Neymar was named the best player and led the 3-0 victory over Spain in the final.

At the Copa América, the striker dealt with early exits and physical problems. He missed the 2019 title due to an ankle injury, and his best result was finishing runner-up in 2021.

Olympic gold and World Cup frustrations

The peak of his successful journey with the Seleção happened in Olympic football. After winning silver at the London 2012 Games, Neymar returned as one of the over-23 players for Rio 2016. Playing at home and wearing the captain’s armband, he led the team to a historic first Olympic gold medal.

In the final at Maracanã against Germany, he scored a free-kick goal in regulation time (ending 1-1) and converted the decisive penalty, securing the historic title missing from the national trophy case.

In World Cups, however, Neymar’s performance across four editions was a mixture of highs and lows:

2014 (Brazil): Scored 4 goals in 5 matches, but suffered a fractured L2 vertebra after a clash with Colombian Juan Camilo Zúñiga in the quarterfinals, missing the semifinal.

2018 (Russia): Arrived at the tournament just recovered from surgery on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. Scored 2 goals, but Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Belgium (2-1).

2022 (Qatar): Suffered an ankle injury in the opener, returned for the knockout stage and scored a goal in extra time against Croatia in the quarterfinals, but Brazil conceded an equalizer and lost on penalties.

2026 (United States, Mexico and Canada): In his fourth and final World Cup, Neymar ended his tournament journey at age 34. Brazil’s campaign ended with another knockout stage exit, losing 2-1 to Norway, in a match where Neymar scored the Brazilian goal from the penalty spot.

Top scorer in the history of the National Team

The detailed data by Sofascore from his World Cup appearances show that the forward played 15 matches in the tournament between 2014 and 2022, scoring 9 goals and providing 3 assists (12 direct goal involvements, averaging one every 102 minutes) and maintaining an average Sofascore rating of 7.69.

READ ALSO: See all of Neymar’s World Cup numbers for Brazil

Adding up all his official appearances for the National Team, Neymar reached the top of the all-time top scorers ranking in history according to FIFA criteria, with 80 goals in 130 matches.

If the former PSG and Barcelona player does not reverse his decision, as Messi did ten years ago when he reconsidered retiring from the Argentine team, the Neymar Era thus ends with impressive numbers and individual records. But also marked by a lack of trophies with Brazil and the closure of his World Cup journey without winning the sixth title.

Neymar plays 45 minutes and helps Santos in the Copa Sudamericana

However, the star is still active with Santos, with whom he is under contract until the end of this year. And there’s still fuel left in the tank. Proof of this was his good performance against Universidad Central in the Copa Sudamericana. Even playing only 45 minutes, the number 10 stood out creating chances and helped Santos win 4-2 and advance in the competition.

He made four key passes and created a great chance, as well as completing 19 out of 23 passes, with an 83% accuracy rate. In the attacking half, Neymar completed 17 of 21 passes and both long balls he attempted. Despite his creativity, he did not attempt a shot and lost possession nine times.

READ ALSO: More details on Neymar’s performance in the Copa Sudamericana

That is to say: if with the Canarinha his story is over, at Santos Neymar’s saga in football continues. And on Sofascore you can keep up with all the numbers and stats on the star.