JAKARTA - Neymar hinted at retiring from the Brazilian national team after his country was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Brazil, seeded in winning the most prestigious competition, was eliminated after a 120-minute draw against Croatia before losing 2-4 on penalties at the Education City Stadium, Friday, December 9 evening WIB.
"I'm not closing any doors on the national team, but I also don't guarantee 100 percent that I'm coming back," Neymar said.
"I need to think more about this, about what's right for me and for the national team," added the 30-year-old.
Neymar equaled Pele's record 77 goals for Brazil as he led the team to take the lead over Croatia.
However, Bruno Petkovic equalized to force the game to continue into the high-fives.
In the penalty shootout, Rodrygo and Marquinhos failed to carry out their duties, while Croatia managed to net four of their attempts to eliminate Brazil in the same round as in Russia four years ago.
"It's a terrible feeling, I think it's a feeling worse than it happened in the last World Cup. It's hard to find words to describe this moment," Neymar said.
"We fought and I am proud of my teammates, proud of the characters they showed to come forward and take penalties," he added.
Croatia, who qualified, will face Argentina in the semifinals on Wednesday, December 14.
Argentina itself qualified after winning on penalties against the Netherlands.
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