Qatar Tribune

Neymar unsure of continuing with football after Qatar World Cup

- DPA

EYMAR expects next year’s World Cup to be his last with Brazil as he believes he is lacking the mental fortitude to deal with football after that.

The Selecao are well on course to book their place in

atar, topping their World Cup qualifying group with a perfect record of nine wins from nine.

Tite’s side are 13 points clear of fifth-placed Colombia at the halfway mark, with only the top four in the CO MEBOL section guaranteed qualificat­ion for the finals.

For eymar, atar would be his third World Cup, having also represente­d his nation in 2014 and 2018.

Although the Paris SaintGerma­in forward has won the Confederat­ions Cup 2013 and an Olympic gold medal

2016 with the Selecao, he has endured mixed fortunes at the finals.

Then of Barcelona, he scored four times when Brazil hosted the event in 2014 but suffered a tournament­ending back injury in the quarter-final victory over Colombia before Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side crashed out

-1 against Germany in the semis.

eymar then netted twice in Russia four years later but was helpless as his nation were eliminated by Belgium in the last eight.

He will be 34 by the time Canada, Mexico and the United States host the 2026 finals.

And hinting that next year will be his final shot at World Cup glory, the 29-year-old hopes to make it count.

uring the making of an exclusive new documentar­y entitled eymar and The Line of ings’, he told A : “I think it’s my last World Cup.

“I see it as my last because I don’t know if I have the strength of mind to deal with football anymore.

“So, I’ll do everything to turn up well do everything to win with my country, to realise my greatest dream since I was little.

“And I hope I can do it.” eymar has scored 69 goals in 113 caps for Brazil since making his senior debut against the USA in August 2010.

Only Pele has found the net on more occasions for the Selecao, while his cap tally is only bettered by Cafu

142 , Roberto Carlos 125 and ani Alves 119 .

 ?? (AFP) ?? Brazil’s Neymar gestures during the South American qualificat­ion match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between Venezuela and Brazil at the UCV Olympic Stadium in Caracas on Thursday.
(AFP) Brazil’s Neymar gestures during the South American qualificat­ion match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between Venezuela and Brazil at the UCV Olympic Stadium in Caracas on Thursday.

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