FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
“I tried, I tried. Now it’s over. I started here, I finished here.” With these words to the Brazilian press, one of the best players of the last 25 years said goodbye to his national team. After the 2-1 defeat against Norway, which marked Brazil’s elimination from the 2016 World Cup, Neymar said goodbye to the Selecao jersey, having played in four World Cups since 2014.
The story began at the same New Jersey stadium with a 2-0 victory for the South Americans against the United States. That day, the star scored his first goal, and this Sunday, he scored the final penalty for the Selecao to close the gap to 2-1 against Norway.
In this tournament, he played just 55 minutes in two matches, both as a substitute. His inclusion in the squad was shrouded in doubt until Carlo Ancelotti finally decided to call him up amid public pressure.
With Ney gone, Brazil will no longer have its magic, the magic that brought joy to millions of its fans around the world.
The story of Neymar and the Brazilian national team
As he himself recalled, it all began on this very stage tonight. In New Jersey, the Santos striker, then young and slender, scored his first goal for the national team in a friendly match against the United States, in a 2-0 victory that inaugurated the Mano Menezes era and also his history in the yellow jersey.
At the time, Neymar wore the number 11 shirt and played on the left wing, just as he did for his club. The traditional number 10 shirt would come years later, during the conquest of the only title won with the adult national team: the 2013 Confederations Cup.
At that tournament held in Brazil, the star player was a key figure in a perfect season, with victories over Italy, Uruguay and, most importantly, Spain, which they defeated 3-0 in a packed Maracanã stadium.
Neymar was voted the best player of the tournament and finished as the team's second-highest scorer with four goals, just one less than Fred.
Expectations were high for what would be Neymar's first World Cup. In 2014, he shone in the opening match against Croatia with two goals and scored again against Cameroon in the group stage.
But a knee to the back from Zúñiga in the quarter-finals against Colombia ended his dream prematurely. From a hospital bed, he watched Brazil suffer a historic 7-1 defeat to Germany and left the World Cup in tears, just like him.
Neymar had three more chances to win the World Cup with Brazil, but failed on all three occasions, as did the team. Plagued by injuries before and during the tournaments, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2018 against Belgium and in 2022 against Croatia, when they didn't even have a chance to take a penalty in the shootout. This year, he was a substitute for most of the season and played less than 60 minutes in total.
If this were indeed the end, Neymar will leave an indelible image of his time with the national team: winning the Olympic gold medal in 2016, the first in the history of Brazilian football, with him as captain and number 10. It was from his feet, via a penalty, that the goal that secured Brazil the gold medal against Germany at the Maracanã was born.
Ten years later, also from the penalty spot, the star's career with the Brazilian national team is likely to come to an end. It is worth remembering that Neymar finished his career with 80 goals in 130 matches.
He is Brazil's all-time top scorer in official matches, surpassing Pelé's 77 goals. However, 'The King', including the unofficial friendlies of his era, finished his international career with 95 goals and three World Cup titles.
Neymar followed that dream as far as he could. Now, his time is up…
Lini një Përgjigje