Neymar: The Brazilian striker is considering retirement at the end of the year

Brazilian striker Neymar said that he is thinking about retiring at the end of this year.

The 34-year-old – whose £200m move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 remains the highest fee paid for a player – has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons.

But he hopes to play in the World Cup for his country this summer.

Neymar returned to his childhood club, Santos, from Al Hilal Saudi Club, in January 2025, and extended his contract until the end of 2026.

However, after an injury-riddled first year, he missed the start of the Brazilian season in January following knee surgery in late December, and only returned to action last week.

“I don’t know what will happen from now on, and I don’t know what will happen next year,” he told Brazilian online channel Caze.

“Maybe when December comes, I’ll want to retire. I’m living year by year now.”

Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, two more than the legend Pele.

However, he last featured for the national team in October 2023, and admitted it was a “big challenge” to force his way into Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad.

He added: “This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team. It is the year of the World Cup, and for me as well.”