In Santos, where Neymar’s next step remains unresolved, the 34-year-old Brazilian has offered an unusually clear picture of life after football: first, he intends to step away from the demands that have shaped his career from Barcelona to Paris and back home.
Key takeaways
- Neymar said he plans to take a full year away from obligations when he retires.
- The Santos forward wants the freedom to play football only when he feels like it during that break.
- His future with Santos has yet to be settled.
- Despite his love for playing, Neymar says watching matches on television holds little appeal for him.
- He recalled being unable to share his former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain teammates’ enthusiasm for all-day weekend viewing.
A year on his own terms
Speaking about the end of his playing career, Neymar said retirement will not bring an immediate move into a packed programme of football or business commitments. Instead, he wants a year in which the schedule belongs entirely to him.
“Obviously, when I retire, I will spend a year doing absolutely nothing,” he said, using characteristically blunt language. “If I feel like playing football that day, I’ll play. If I do not feel like doing anything, I will do nothing.”
The former Barcelona attacker framed the idea as a release after years spent under the routine and pressure of elite professional sport. There was no indication of a formal retirement timetable, while his situation at Santos is still to be decided.
Love of the pitch, not the television
Neymar also drew a distinction between playing football and consuming it from the sofa. The game remains central to him as a participant, but he said he does not have the patience to sit through televised fixtures.
“I love football, but I love playing it,” he explained. “Sitting on the couch, turning on the television and watching a match — I cannot do it.”
He looked back on his spells in Catalonia and Paris, where teammates would spend long stretches of the weekend following match after match. Neymar said the prospect of watching football continuously from late morning until early evening was something he simply could not tolerate.
