Neymar quits international football after Brazil’s World Cup knockout loss

Neymar says he is done playing for Brazil’s national team, making the announcement after he and his teammates were knocked out of the World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Norway in the round of 16.

“I tried,” Neymar said after the match on Sunday. “It started here, at MetLife Stadium, and I finished here. It is now over.”

Neymar, 34, played his first game for Brazil on August 10, 2010 – a friendly against the United States at the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

He is Brazil’s all-time top scorer, and ironically, he got his first goal for his country ahead of global football icon Pele.

Against Norway, he scored from a penalty kick in the final minutes after being brought on as a substitute. He collapsed in tears when the final whistle went and had to be consoled by teammates.

Neymar appeared in only two of Brazil’s five games in the tournament due to a nagging right calf injury. He was also on the field for 15 minutes against Scotland in group play.

Brazil’s best player for more than a decade had been slowed by injuries in recent years that limited his impact. The country is now entering a period of transition, with the next generation taking over.

“We ask that people will have patience with the new generation and support them from the get-go,” captain Marquinhos said.