AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Neymar walked off the pitch with teammate Dani Alves at his side, tears rolling down the Brazilian striker’s cheeks.
Other players had already tried to comfort Neymar as he wept as he sat near midfield, head bowed, hiding his face.
There wasn’t much they could say to make the team’s biggest star raise his head.
Again there was disappointment instead of joy at the end of a World Cup for neymar again failed to lead Brazil to a major title.
It was his third World Cup failure, and his only triumphs with the national team are the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, when Brazil won its first gold medal in soccer.
Neymar said that this was not the time to talk about his future with the national team.
“Honestly, I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s hard to talk about it right now,” she said. “It would be too hasty to come here and say that this is it, but I can’t guarantee anything. I have to take some time to think about it. I’m not closing any doors on the Seleção, but I’m not saying 100% that I want to come back either”.
Neymar scored on Friday to equal Pelé for Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 77 goals, but the Seleção ended up losing to Croatia 4-2 in a penalty shootout. in the quarterfinals after the match ended 1-1 after extra time.
Neymar never had a chance to take a penalty after Rodrygo and Marquinhos missed their penalties.
“I would have taken the fifth penalty,” said Brazilian coach Tite. “That’s the one with the most pressure, and he would be the player with the most quality and mental preparation to take the shot.”
Neymar scored his goal in extra time with a forehand shot after breaking through the defense and dribbling past the Croatian goalkeeper to equal Pelé’s record. He entered the tournament two goals shy of the milestone and scored his 76th in the round of 16 against South Korea. after returning from an ankle injury.
Brazil came close to returning to the semifinals for the first time since 2014, but Neymar looked on in anguish from midfield when Croatia substitute Bruno Petkovic equalized in the 117th minute.
Neymar also did not play in the quarterfinals of the tournament that Brazil organized eight years ago. He suffered a serious back injury in the quarterfinal against Colombia and then watched his teammates lose 7-1 to Germany.
Neymar, 30, scored his 77 goals in 124 appearances for Brazil. Pele’s goals came in 92 caps for the national team between 1957 and 1971.
Pelé remained in a hospital in Brazil while receiving treatment for a respiratory infection exacerbated by COVID-19. The latest medical report says Pelé, 82, who underwent surgery last year to remove a tumor in his colon, was improving.
Ronaldo, winner of the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, is third on the list with 62 goals in 98 games.
Pelé won three World Cups, including as a 17-year-old in the 1958 tournament. He also helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1962 and 1970.
Neymar first played for Brazil as an 18-year-old in 2010. He is the only other Brazilian player besides Pelé and Ronaldo to have scored in three different World Cups.
Neymar tore ligaments in his ankle in Brazil’s opening win against Serbia, and his participation in the remainder of the tournament was in doubt due to the injury. He returned to the starting lineup after missing two group stage games and played around 80 minutes in Brazil’s 4-1 win. over South Korea on Monday.
The striker has had right ankle problems in the past and is among a series of injuries since the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Another right ankle sprain forced him to miss the 2019 Copa América, which Brazil won.
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