Neymar has stopped talking like a footballer with a five-year plan. Speaking to Brazil’s CazeTV, the Santos forward sounded like someone measuring the game in seasons, not eras – and leaving the door open for an abrupt goodbye when the year closes.
“I don’t know what will happen from now on, I don’t know about next year,” Neymar said. “It may be that when December comes, I will want to retire. I am living year to year now.”
A World Cup year, and a body that has to cooperate
The timing is the whole point. 2026 is a FIFA World Cup year, and Neymar framed it as a three-way test: Santos, Brazil and himself.
“We will see what my heart decides. It depends on what my heart says later in the year,” he added, before underlining the immediate target. “This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it’s a World Cup year, and for me too. I wanted to play this season totally 100 per cent.”
That “100 per cent” line isn’t a throwaway. Neymar’s last few years have been repeatedly interrupted by injuries and recovery cycles, and his Brazil comeback has been a constant question mark since his previous appearance in October 2023.
At the club level, he returned to Santos in January 2025 and has been positioned as both symbol and solution – the star name meant to lift the mood, and the difference-maker expected to deliver points when the pressure spikes. He played a decisive role in Santos staying up, including scoring five goals in their final five matches of last season.
The subtext is simple: he is no longer promising longevity, he’s chasing a clean stretch of football. That is also why he extended his Santos deal into 2026 – it keeps the runway open, but it doesn’t guarantee the destination.
For Brazil, the stakes are harsher than nostalgia. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has publicly warned that reputation won’t buy a ticket: only fully fit players make the World Cup squad.
So Neymar’s statement reads less like drama and more like an honest contract with reality: one season, one body, one final shot at arriving whole – and then letting the heart, bot the calendar, decide the rest.
