By Wilson Florez
Brazil did not make it past the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Croatia was the team that managed to remove “La Canarinha” from the competition. After removal Neymar Jr. admitted that he felt as if he had died. “Ney” remembers it as one of the worst sensations of his life.
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“My family was arriving with swollen eyess (?) They looked at me as if to say ‘damn, what a life he had; ‘he was a good guy’“, recalled the former FC Barcelona player in statements compiled and disseminated by TyC Sports.
Neymar Jr. remembered the scene of the reunion of the Brazilian footballers with their families. Sadness overcame a team that had just finished out the semi-finals via penalties. Rodrygo and Marquihos failed for the Brazilian team.
“I felt like I had died. We went to the hotel after the game… Dude, it seemed like the world had ended. We were meeting our relatives little by little, Strolling Silly type, you see? (…) Everyone passed by you half serious, They made a face like (sadness), like ‘what the hell, right?’. It was crazy. Brother, I saw my funeral, how it’s going to be. “I swear to God,” he described.
The state of shock was collective. The footballers’ families did not want to get too involved in the players’ feelings. Elimination is a very prone moment in which rarely There are the right words to cope with the wound that has just been opened.
“I was sitting in a little room and there they were arriving. My family arrived, all with red eyes, they all greeted me, but they didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say, but I sat like that (arms crossed) for about five minutes, looking, and no one said anything, they just looked at you. I thought: ‘Damn, it feels like I’m in a coffin’“, explained Neymar Jr.
Neymar Jr. has experienced many eliminations in his career. At the club and national team level it is inevitable to go through the bitterness of defeat. In Brazil 2014, “Ney” indirectly did not suffer elimination at the hands of Germany because he was injured; In Russia 2018 they lost against Belgium in the quarterfinalsthe same point at which they would fall against Croatia four years later.
“They looked at me like they were saying ‘damn, what a life he had, he was a good guy’, that was the feeling. I said I was going to my room, that I wasn’t fine.that I felt bad. I went to talk to Marquinhos, who didn’t want to see anyone either, and then I left with my family. See you in Brazil. It was contaminated, the worst fucking feeling“, he concluded.
The Brazilian team is in the Group C of the 2026 World Cup. The South American team will face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. The debut of “La Canarinha” will be on Saturday, June 13 at MetLife Stadium against the Moroccan team. It is still debated Neymar Jr.’s call-up Carlo Ancelotti has not yet given him the opportunity to return.
‼️🇧🇷🇮🇹 Carlo Ancelotti, about the present of Neymar Júnior and the possibilities of calling him to the World Cup:
“HE IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK. He must continue in this way and improve his condition.
He is capable of returning to 100% physical fitness. I have said it several times and it is very clear: I will call… pic.twitter.com/kQQBhOIGKI
— Ataque Futbolero (@AtaqueFutbolero) April 11, 2026
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