Bards and poets must be laughing. It was the ending he wrote himself: a final act crafted to perfection.
Remove the context for a moment and consider the final telling act of Brazil vs. Norway. A penalty. Neymar was walking up. Brazil’s top scorer with more goals than Pele and more goals than Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. He will become the second Brazilian player to score in four World Cups with one goal.
And opposite him, Ørjan Nyland. invulnerable He had rejected Bruno Guimaraes from the spot and then the undisputed Vinicius Jr. Every Brazilian attack disappeared.
Then came Neymar. flamboyant move. Snobbish smile. The result is the air of an untouched man.
“Onde você quer?” he asked. (‘Where do you want it?’)
“Tenta na trav,” said Nayland. ‘Hit the woodwork.’
Neymar didn’t. behind the net. This sequence had reached its end. Or, did? Neymar went to the goalkeeper and whispered: “Comigo não, otário.” ‘Not with me, **Akar.’
Reality soon set in. It was effectively the final kick of a match that Brazil had already lost. A humiliation: only 34% possession against Norway. Their first World Cup exit since 1990.
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Smiles turned to tears. Undeterred, Neymar will announce his retirement from the national team. The amount of the fine has not been determined. A fleeting moment of unrelated brilliance.
And there is a career involved here. Momentarily flamboyant, but overwhelmed by the larger story unfolding all around.
Unwanted prodigy
“Não faça o que Menotti fez,” shouted a journalist at Dunga, as the former coach announced his squad for the 2010 World Cup. ‘Don’t do what Menotti did.’
In 1978, Cesare Luis Menotti dropped the 17-year-old Diego Maradona from Argentina’s World Cup squad because he was too inexperienced. Thirty-two years later, Dunga made a similar conclusion about 18-year-old Neymar.
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Pelé and Romario pleaded with Dunga to reconsider. The “Neymar é Seleção” petition attracted thousands of people. Fans and journalists gathered outside Dunga’s house until he called the police.
Argentina stopped asking questions after Menotti lifted the trophy without Maradona. Brazil only asked louder after their quarter-final exit to the Netherlands.
Dunga lost his job and his successor Mano Menezes had to save his job by selecting Neymar.
Protest conceded on 28 minutes: Debut goal against USA. He left after six weeks. Sent off for indiscipline after reprimanding Santos manager Dorival Jr. for refusing to take a penalty.
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On occasion he was not denied; He was innocent. In the 2010 San-São derby, he unveiled Paradinha and froze Rogerio Ceni before calmly scoring.
‘Why don’t you kill normally?’ asked a reporter.
Re: “You don’t stand out just by doing ordinary things.”
2013. Brazil marches for two reasons: against corruption in the streets and behind Neymar in the stadium. Then came the Confederations Cup.
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Only one trophy can solve a country’s woes – be it psychologically. If they don’t, a disaster awaits, warns incumbent President Lula. Brazil won. Neymar was amazing: four goals, two assists and the Golden Ball.
“I can see myself winning the World Cup,” he claimed.
cruel fate
A year after the victory, Neymar would leave the World Cup in tears. Quarter-finals against Colombia. The back knee was fractured. A few inches on either side, and he would have been confined to a wheelchair forever.
“My luck was taken away from me, but I will come back stronger,” he said.
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Destiny’s favorite child. The Confederations Cup was his first senior trophy for Brazil. It would also be his last.
Neymar arrived in Russia with a fractured metatarsal in 2018 and recovered, still contributing four goals. Only, they came up against the most assembled Belgian team ever. In Qatar in 2022, he injured his ankle, but still waded through a sea of red-and-white-clad bodies to score in the quarter-finals.
By 2026 time had become an adversary. A torn ACL, hamstring and calf injuries limited Neymar to just three-and-a-half appearances for Brazil in the last World Cup and the current World Cup. Yet, in the final act of his international career, he still found the net. with swagger.
Maybe there is an alternate timeline. Juan Camilo Zuniga’s knee never hits his back at Fortaleza. One where Thibaut Courtois didn’t save the tournament in Kazan. Where Croatia could not match in Al Rayyan. Erling Braut Halland is not jumping in East Rutherford.
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During that time, Neymar retired with medals. In this, he leaves behind something much less tangible. Elasticus. Rainbow Dash. Mohawks. Showboating. But not the World Cup.
Destiny’s most favorite child bowed.