Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar on Friday (December 9) expressed his emptiness after Brazil’s exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The attacker said he was psychologically broken and badly injured after the Selecao were knocked out by Croatia in the last eight on penalties.
After failing to beat Croatia in the quarter-finals, the external results of Brazil’s World Cup ended badly. Despite dominating large parts of the game, Tite’s men lacked the cutting edge to subdue their European counterparts and were made to pay for it.
In the first half of extra time (105th minute), Neymar scored a goal and gave his side the victory. However, Bruno Petkovic’s strike in the 117th minute sent the game to penalties, where the Selecao lost 4–2, with Neymar missing the spot kick.
A heartbroken Neymar was seen in tears as his teammates consoled him at the end of the game. Hours later, he wrote a heartfelt, emotional message on Instagram. The PSG superstar expressed his anguish amid the shock, adding that Brazil deserved to go all the way.
“Psychologically, it was definitely the defeat that hurt the most, it paralyzed me for 10 minutes, and then I burst into tears,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, it’s going to hurt for a long time. We fought until the end, and I’m proud of my team because there was no lack of commitment or dedication.”
He continued:
“This group deserved it; we deserved it; Brazil deserved it… but it was not God’s will. It was worth every sacrifice to feel the love of everyone on the field… Thank you all for your help with our selection. Unfortunately. It worked Didn’t… it’s going to hurt for a long, long time. Thank you my God for everything, you gave me everything and I can’t complain about anything. Thank you for just taking care of me. All honor and all glory to you always, Regardless of the circumstances.”
This post has received more than 2 million likes. Meanwhile, other Brazilian players, including Gabriel Martinelli and Richarlison, have also made emotional posts of their own following the shock.