At MetLife Stadium, the unimaginable happened: Brazil's hopes of winning the World Cup came to an abrupt halt with a shocking Round of 16 loss to Norway by a score of 2-1 and an iconic 16-year-era has come to a teary close with Neymar Jr.'s announcement of his permanent retirement from international football just moments after the final whistle blew.
"I tried, I tried. Now it's over," said Neymar, poignantly putting an end to a magnificent journey that began with his senior international debut at this same stadium in 2010.
Though he did not win the World Cup, Neymar leaves behind a mighty statistical and cultural legacy:
All-Time Leading Scorer: He retires after 80 goals scored from 130 matches played, breaking the official record of 77 goals set by Pelé.
The Last Samba Superstar: He carried the hopes of an entire nation across four tournaments and won the Confederations Cup in 2013 and Olympic Gold in 2016.
Brazil now faces an even longer time without a World Cup as Neymar has done everything he could do for the Brazilian national team but Futebol (soccer) has a cruel way of telling stories.
