Neymar's International Retirement Draws Emotional Messages From Zlatan, Henry

Published 6 July 2026 · sports

Neymar's International Retirement Draws Emotional Messages From Zlatan, Henry Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 14:02 IST Neymar retires from international football. Ibrahimovic and

Neymar's International Retirement Draws Emotional Messages From Zlatan, Henry Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 14:02 IST Neymar retires from international football. Ibrahimovic and Henry pay tribute to Brazil's all-time top scorer after FIFA World Cup exit. Rapid Read Neymar breaks down after Brazil's defeat at the FIFA World Cup (Picture credit: AP) Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and France star Thierry Henry paid emotional tributes to Brazil’s Neymar, who announced his international retirement after his team went down 1-2 to Norway in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup. Neymar came off the bench late at MetLife Stadium and converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, but it was only a consolation after Erling Haaland struck twice to inspire Norway to a 2-1 win against Brazil.

While Brazil’s FIFA World Cup campaign ended in disappointment, Ibrahimović and Henry chose to focus on Neymar’s enduring impact on the sport rather than the circumstances surrounding his farewell. “Thank you. This is a guy I would have paid to watch. Simple as that. We can talk about tactics. We can talk about whatever it’s, but this guy could play anywhere, at any time, in any style," Henry said while speaking on FOX Sports. “He could have made anyone and he did make anyone, love the game with the way he was, his goals, his smile, the way he went about it and his skills. Anyone young wanted to be Neymar," Henry added.

The 34-year-old is Brazil’s all-time top scorer and he got his first goal for his nation in the same stadium, in a 2-0 victory over the United States back in 2010. “He will be remembered as the great footballer that came over to Europe and before he came over to Europe, he was doing his thing in Brazil. When he was at Barcelona, he did well," Ibrahimovic said. “When he was at PSG, he did well. But I think people will also say that he could have done more than he did because people wanted him to win the Ballon d’Or and he did not win," Ibrahimovic added.

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