Neymar says goodbye after Norway knock Brazil out

Haaland brace sends Brazil home

It was over in the Round of 16. Norway 2–1 Brazil, and Erling Haaland scored both (1). Neymar was on the pitch at the final whistle, emotional, and what he said next landed harder than the result.

Neymar walks away from the Seleção

"I tried, I really tried. Now it's over. I started here, I closed here" (2). Neymar declared his Brazil career finished right after the Norway defeat. His father has publicly urged him to keep playing and smile again, but the player has not responded. He is now weighing whether to retire from football entirely.

Matthäus: "I'm glad Brazil are out"

German legend Lothar Matthäus did not hold back on TV. "I'm glad Brazil are out. I just can't stand the lamenting and gesticulating anymore" (2). A brutal line aimed directly at Neymar and the team's on-pitch behaviour.

Ancelotti stays, Vinícius vows to return

Carlo Ancelotti is not going anywhere. "The pain is great, but the confidence in what we are building does not change." Vinícius Júnior, who scored four goals in the tournament, has promised to lead the next cycle. Only a handful of the current squad are expected to continue into 2030.

Fan-reaktioner

The mood online has gone somewhere unexpected. Brazilian fans on Reddit are not just blaming tactics or personnel, some are pointing to the team's Protestant players and the influence of born-again Christianity imported from the US. "If we pray like a gringo, then we play like a gringo" was one line circulating. It is a unique, deeply cultural post-mortem. Read the thread