Brazilian football star Neymar Junior has already begun his retirement plants. Speaking to a local television network, the footballer seemed to be done with long-term plans, and is taking one season at a time, preparing to say goodbye to the sport any day.
In the last few years, Neymar Junior's professional footballing journey has not been smooth. After leaving Paris Saint Germain in 2023, he has mostly stayed out of the spotlight with multiple injuries blocking his road to glory.
In a recent interaction, the 34-year-old shared that he does not know what the future holds for him. "I don’t know what will happen from now on, I don’t know about next year. It may be that when December comes, I will want to retire. I am living year to year now", the player said.
This year is especially important for footballers and football fans, since the FIFA World Cup is just a few months away. Quite naturally, the player had to address what he feels about him playing the World Cup.
Neymar said, "We will see what my heart decides. It depends on what my heart says later in the year. 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. I wanted to play this season totally 100 per cent."
Neymar returned to his boyhood club, Santos FC in January, 2025, in what seemed to be a redemptive decisions after years of poor calls. However, despite him being one of the brightest talents in Brazil in the last 15 years, his spot in the national team is not always guaranteed, especially under new coach Carlo Ancelotti who is a strict taskmaster.
Fans need not be disappointed yet. Neymar is not hanging his boots right away, but he is definitely begun to think about it.
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