Neymar said he had “cried five days in a row” after Brazil were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup and added that he was considering retiring from international football following their quarter-final loss to Croatia.
The 31-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward has not played for the national team since the penalty shoot-out defeat on December 9.
Neymar put Brazil ahead in extra time before Croatia leveled with three minutes remaining and won a penalty shoot-out to qualify for the semi-finals.
“I can’t tell you what’s going through my head,” Neymar told YouTuber Casimiro as quoted by ESPN.
“It was the most painful defeat in my career, of course. I cried for five days straight. It was very painful for me because my dreams turned out to be useless,” he continued.
“I’d rather not score, to stay 0-0 and lose on penalties, than ‘I score, they equalize and we lose on penalties.’ It is a pain that only the players and staff can understand.”
“It was the worst time of my life. It was like a funeral, someone is crying on one side of you, someone else is crying on the other. It was horrible, a feeling I don’t ever want to experience again.”
Neymar has played for Brazil in three World Cups namely 2014, 2018 and 2022.
In 2014, they were humiliated 7-1 by in the semifinals at home after the striker injured his back in the previous round.
Four years later in Russia, Brazil were beaten 2-1 by Belgium in the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Croatia in Qatar in 2022.
In an interview with CazeTV, Neymar said he considered retiring from international football after being eliminated in the last World Cup, but is now ready to return in 2026.
“After the 2022 World Cup, to be honest, I don’t want [to return to the Brazilian national team],” he said. “But I changed my mind. Because I was hungry right? I changed my mind.”
“After the World Cup, I don’t want to experience the pain of losing again. Seeing my family suffer so much, it weighs a lot on me. But they have to endure it again. It will be good. It has to be.”
Brazil’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers will take place in September.
The CBF have appointed Fluminense’s Fernando Diniz as their new interim head coach on a one-year deal, as they pursue Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti as a long-term appointment.
Neymar has returned to pre-season training with PSG, now coached by former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique.
They face Le Havre in a friendly on Friday before heading off for their tour of Japan, where they will face Al Nassr, Cerezo Osaka and Inter Milan.
