Neymar "cried for five days" after devastating World Cup defeat

Brazil failed to reach the tournament’s semi-finals after a painful defeat against Croatia.

Neymar has opened up on suffering a shock defeat against Croatia in the 2022 World Cup.

Brazil came into the Qatar tournament as one of the main favourites to win the trophy. However, their run ended with an unexpected defeat against Croatia in the quarter-finals.

After a goalless draw in the 90 minutes, Neymar put Brazil ahead with what seemed to be the winning goal. However, Croatia bounced back and made it 1-1, before beating the Selecao in the penalty shootouts.

“I can’t tell you what went through my head,” Neymar told YouTuber Casimiro (via ESPN). “It was the most painful defeat of my career, for sure. I cried for five straight days. It hurt me a lot that my dream had turned to nothing.

“I’d have preferred not to have scored the goal, for it to stay 0-0 and lose on penalties, rather than ‘I scored the goal, they equalised and we lost on penalties.’ It’s a pain that only the players and staff can understand.

“It was the worst moment of my life. It felt like a funeral, someone crying on one side of you, someone else crying on the other. It was horrible, a feeling I don’t want to experience that again.”

Neymar hasn’t played for Brazil since the World Cup. However, the Paris Saint-Germain star has recently dismissed reports about his possible retirement from international football.