The 34-year-old attacking midfielder was brought on from the substitute bench in Brazil’s convincing victory over Scotland last night. After the match at the 2026 World Cup, Neymar was captured in an emotional moment hugging his son. However, before entering the tournament, the future of the star on the books of Santos remained undecided, and so far he has still not found a new destination.
According to The Athletic, Neymar decided to terminate discussions with Cincinnati after losing patience over the lack of progress. He was ready to finalize the deal if the two sides could agree on personal terms, but the American team did not make an official offer.
The Brazilian playmaker’s contract with Santos will expire at the end of this year. This led Neymar to believe that Cincinnati was not truly serious, despite the fact that Sporting Director Chris Albright and President Jeff Berding had traveled to Brazil to meet him and his father in April.
The former Barcelona player, who moved to PSG for a world-record fee of £198 million in 2017, still leaves open the possibility of trying his hand in MLS. However, Cincinnati will not be his destination when his contract with Santos expires at the end of this year.
Neymar accepted a pay cut of up to 99% of his income to return to Santos last year, the club that developed him. Despite facing difficulties, including an instance of walking into the tunnel after being booed by his own fans, the forward has still scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists in 15 matches this season. The aforementioned form helped coach Carlo Ancelotti recall Neymar to the Brazil national team for the 2026 World Cup.
Brazil currently tops Group C after securing all 6 points against Scotland and Haiti, following a draw with Morocco earlier this month. Neymar and his teammates are now waiting to identify their opponent in the round of 32. This is the fourth World Cup of Neymar’s career, following his appearances in 2014, 2018, and 2022
