RIO De JANEIRO: Former Brazil captain Neymar said he is thinking of retiring at the end of the year after being hampered by injuries but hopes to go to the World Cup first.&nbsp;The ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker returned in January 2025 to his boyhood club Santos from Saudi club Al-Hilal.&nbsp;After an injury-interrupted first season he extended his contract until the end of 2026 but then missed the start of the Brazilian season in January after undergoing knee surgery in late December.&nbsp;&quot;I don&#39;t know what will happen from now on, I don&#39;t know about next year,&quot; the striker told Brazilian online channel Caze. &quot;It may be that when December comes, I&#39;ll want to retire. I&#39;m living year to year now.&quot;&nbsp;He made his return as a second-half replacement in a Sao Paulo championship match on February 16, 11 days after his 34th birthday.&nbsp;&quot;Obviously, I wanted to come back to help my team in the best way possible, but I ended up holding back a little so I could come back 100 per cent,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Neymar is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil, with 79 goals, two more than Pele, but has not played for the national team since October 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury against Uruguay.&nbsp;Carlo Ancelotti has not called up Neymar since taking over as Brazil coach last May.&nbsp;&quot;This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it&#39;s a World Cup year, and for me too,&quot; Neymar said. &quot;So it&#39;s a huge challenge.&quot;

Football

Neymar says he might retire at the end of the year due to injuries but hopes to play in the World Cup. Neymar is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil, with 79 goals, two more than Pele, but has not played for the national team since October 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury against Uruguay.

Articles tagged with "World cup"

Neymar hints at possible retirement after World Cup

Neymar hints at possible retirement after World Cup