Neymar: Brazil striker considering retiring at end of year

Brazil striker Neymar says he is considering retiring at the end of the year.

The 34-year-old – whose £200m move from Barcelona to Paris St-Germain in 2017 remains the highest fee paid for a player – has been blighted by injuries in recent seasons.

But he hopes to play in the World Cup for his country this summer.

Neymar rejoined his boyhood club Santos from Saudi club Al-Hilal in January 2025 and extended his contract until the end of 2026.

However after an injury-hampered first year he then missed the start of the Brazilian season in January following knee surgery in late December, and only returned to action last week.

“I don’t know what will happen from now on, I don’t know about next year,” he told Brazilian online channel Caze.

“It may be that when December comes, I’ll want to retire. I’m living year to year now.”

Neymar is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil, with 79 goals – two more than the legendary Pele.

However he last featured for the national team in October 2023 and admitted it was a “huge challenge” to force his way into Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad.

“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,” he added.