FIFA World Cup 2026: Neymar retires after Brazil exit, joins Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with rare feat

In the series of shocking events, Brazil faced elimination from the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 after enduring a 2-1 loss against Norway in their Round of 16 clash on Monday, July 6 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford. Other than Brazil's elimination from the tournament, star forward Neymar Jr also announced his retirement from international football, which turned out to be another nightmare for footballing fans across the world.

Neymar joins elite list of players

Despite Brazil's exit from the tournament, Neymar managed to join an elite list of players. The former Barcelona forward managed to slot the ball from the penalty in the 100th minute of the game, with this he became one of the few players to score in multiple world cups.

Players to score goals in multiple editions of FIFA World Cups:

Neymar joined the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the elite list. The Portuguese star Ronaldo has managed to score a single goal in every world cup he competed in. whereas Messi has managed to score in five out of the six world cups he played for Argentina.

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When it comes to Neymar, Santos took part in four world cups and managed to register a single goal in all of them. Neymar played his first World Cup in 2014 which was hosted by Brazil.

How has Neymar fared in FIFA World Cups?

In the 2014 edition, Neymar had an explosive campaign for Brazil, scoring four goals and one assist in just five games. He turned out to be the joint-third top scorer in the 2014 edition.

In 2018 edition which took place in Russia, Neymar enjoyed a decent run for the Selecao. The former PSG forward amassed two goals and two assists in five appearances. Once again Neymar carried entire Brazil's hopes on his shoulders before the Selecao endured an exit after loss against Belgium in the quarter-final.

Neymar was selected in the squad for the 2022 edition,  where Messi's Argentina emerged victorious. However, Neymar managed to make only three appearances after suffering a ligament injury before making a heroic comeback against Brazil's win over South Korea, where he scored a goal through penalty. Neymar almost guided Brazil to the semis before Croatia won the quarter-final clash in the penalty shootout. In three appearances, Neymar managed to score two goals and recorded one assist.

The former Barcelona forward made a miraculous return to Brazil's squad for the ongoing 2026 edition despite going through several injury issues. The star left-winger made two appearances in the tournament and recorded one goal, which came in the Round of 16 loss against Norway.