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3 min readJul 7, 2026 09:12 PM IST
Brazil's Neymar (10) reacts at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Brazil and Norway in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Legendary German player Lothar Matthaus said that he was glad Brazil crashed out of the World Cup while also accusing Neymar of putting his ego ahead of the team’s needs in the Round of 16 match vs Norway last week. Brazil were shocked by the Norwegians when Erling Haaland scored a brace for Norway before Neymar converted a penalty in the fag end of he match as the contest ended 2-1 in favour of the Scandinavian country.
“It pleases me that Brazil are out. I simply can’t stand this moaning and gesticulating anymore. Instead of taking the penalty quickly, Neymar argued with the goalkeeper both before and after the shot. You can see from this behaviour that he puts his ego above the success of the team,” Matthaus wrote in his column for Sky Germany.
One of Brazilian football’s most flamboyant talents, Neymar was reduced to tears following the 2–1 defeat to Norway, which brought the Seleção’s campaign to a crushing halt on Monday.
An inconsolable Neymar confirmed that he has played his last game for the national team.
“I tried, I tried… Now it’s over! I started here, I finished here,” Neymar said, gesturing to the very stadium in New Jersey where he had made his Brazil debut in a friendly against the United States back in 2010. Against Norway, he came off the bench and scored a late penalty in the final minutes, but it proved insufficient to rescue his side.
The 34-year-old brought down the curtain on his Brazil career with 80 goals and 58 assists in 130 appearances. His retirement brings to an end one of the most celebrated international careers in Brazilian football. During his time with the Selecao, Neymar helped the country lift the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 and won the Olympic gold medal on home soil at the Rio 2016 Games.
The Round of 16 exit marks Brazil’s earliest World Cup knockout-stage departure since 1990. The most successful nation in World Cup history now finds itself on the brink of its longest drought without lifting the trophy since its first triumph. By 2030, the Seleção will have gone 28 years without a world title.
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