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Neymar has spoken out about rumors surrounding a possible retirement, saying he "honestly still doesn't know" what lies ahead once his current deal expires.
The Brazilian superstar has returned to his childhood club Santos following the heartbreak of the Seleção's exit at the 2026 World Cup. Neymar will now aim to help Santos close out the season on a positive note as he enters the final five months of his deal. What comes next remains uncertain, as the legendary forward made clear over the weekend.
"I don't know [how long I will keep playing]," Neymar said at one of his foundation events. "I'm not thinking about retirement and I also don't know until when I'm going to keep playing. I have a contract with Santos until December. I want to honor it and represent Santos's shirt as well as I possibly can.
"After that, when my contract expires, I will think about what comes next. I'll decide whether I stay at Santos, leave, move to another club, retire, or carry on playing. Honestly, I still have no idea what I'm going to do. There's still a long road ahead until December. We'll take it step by step, match by match."
The 34-year-old is keeping his attention on the present while acknowledging that every possible path for his career will be weighed up at year's end. One thing he has already settled, however, is his retirement from the Brazil national team, having left as the Seleção's all-time leading scorer.
Neymar's Family Plea for Brazil Retirement U-Turn
Neymar announced his international retirement immediately after Brazil's 2–1 loss to Norway, which brought their 2026 World Cup journey to an end in the round of 16. Less than a month after netting his record-breaking 80th goal for Brazil in his final appearance, those closest to him refused to completely rule out a possible return to the national setup.
Neymar's father and agent—who made an emotional appeal for him to reconsider retiring from the Seleção—also spoke at the foundation event and kept the possibility open for his son to wear Brazil's yellow jersey once more in the future.
"I can't say with certainty that he's 100% finished with the Seleção," Neymar's father said. "Maybe he can come back." When asked about his father's remarks, Neymar responded, "It's not my father playing."
But Neymar's father wasn't the only family member voicing a wish for Neymar to return to international duty. Neymar's son also weighed in on the subject.
"Personally, I would love it [if he played for Brazil again]," Neymar's son said. "But I want him to be happy about it, not me. As long as he's happy, that's what truly matters."
The prospect of Neymar pulling on Brazil's shirt again remains a distant dream for now, but the iconic forward appears unbothered by the chatter and is locked in on helping Santos fulfill their 2026 ambitions.
Neymar Fully Focused on Helping Santos Achieve Success
Neymar rejoined Santos after the World Cup and was quickly thrust into controversy when he participated in a poker tournament on the same evening his boyhood club played the first leg of a Copa Sudamericana (South America's Europa League) knockout tie.
The former Barcelona star hit back at his detractors, and in his first appearance back, he scored twice to salvage a draw against Chapecoense—celebrating by mimicking a poker dealer distributing cards. With that storm now behind him, Neymar is zeroed in on guiding Santos to a strong finish to the campaign.
"I'm feeling good physically," Neymar revealed. "And I feel better and better on the pitch, and that's what really matters.
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"I'm ready to step onto the pitch whenever needed and help Santos in the best way I can," he added, ahead of his side's Brazilian Cup clash against Reno on Tuesday night.
Santos remain in contention in the Brazilian Cup and have also advanced to the Copa Sudamericana round of 16. El Peixe will look to mount deep runs in both competitions while also ensuring they steer clear of relegation in the Brazilian league, where they currently sit 15th—safe from the drop zone only on goal difference.