Shafaq News- Seattle
The 2026 World Cup has become a farewell stage for several of football’s biggest international names, with Neymar signaling the end of his Brazil career, Cristiano Ronaldo confirming his final tournament with Portugal, and other long-serving icons nearing the end of their World Cup paths.
Neymar’s Brazil career moved toward its closing point after the team’s 2-1 defeat to Norway in the round of 16. The 34-year-old was emotional after the loss, which ended Brazil’s campaign and extended the five-time champions’ wait for a World Cup title since 2002.
“I tried, I tried ... Now it’s over,” Neymar told reporters after the match, which was played at the same New Jersey stadium where Neymar made his Brazil debut in 2010. He leaves the international stage, if the decision stands, as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, ahead of Pele, having played in four World Cups for Brazil.
His tournaments included goals, injuries, and repeated exits before the final, with the 2014 home World Cup and the 2022 defeat to Croatia among the defining moments of his international career.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, now 41, said before Portugal’s last-16 match against Spain that this would be his last World Cup, ending a run that began in 2006 and stretched across six editions of the tournament.
The Portugal captain has won Euro 2016 and two UEFA Nations League titles with his country, but the World Cup remains the major international trophy missing from his record. His final campaign continued into the knockout stage, with Portugal facing Spain for a place in the quarter-finals.
Ronaldo stated that winning the World Cup would not make him “more or less Cristiano,” pointing instead to his long record with Portugal and his place in the national team’s history.
Manuel Neuer has also confirmed his retirement from Germany duty after the national team’s exit. The 2014 World Cup winner leaves as one of Germany’s most decorated goalkeepers and one of the defining figures of the modern position.
Luka Modric, 40, is also expected to have played his final World Cup with Croatia. Coach Zlatko Dalic indicated that the tournament was likely Modric’s last on the global stage, after a career that included leading Croatia to the 2018 final and the 2022 semi-finals.