Germany legend Lothar Matthäus has criticised Neymar following Brazil’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, accusing the forward of placing his personal interests ahead of the team’s success.
Writing in his column for Sky Germany, Matthäus said he was pleased to see Brazil knocked out of the tournament after their 2-1 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16.
The former Germany captain directed his strongest criticism at Neymar’s behaviour during Brazil’s late penalty. According to Matthäus, the Brazilian forward spent too much time arguing with Norway’s goalkeeper before and after taking the spot-kick instead of restarting play quickly.
Matthäus said Neymar’s actions showed that he put “his ego above the success of the team.”
Neymar converted the penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time, but the goal came after Erling Haaland had already scored twice to put Norway in control of the match.
The German football legend also compared Brazil’s approach with France’s, praising the unity shown by Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and their teammates during their 1-0 victory over Paraguay. He said France’s players demonstrated that success comes through teamwork and collective effort.
Matthäus also revealed that Norway had been his dark horse before the tournament began. He praised the Scandinavian side for their performances, highlighting Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa and goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland as key figures in the historic victory.
Norway’s win secured the country’s first-ever place in a FIFA World Cup quarter-final, where they will face England.
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