At 34 years old, the former Barcelona and PSG player is making his big comeback with the Seleção, with which he has not played since October 2023 due to recurring injuries. The top scorer of the Brazilian national team (79 goals in 128 appearances) will compete in his 4th World Cup after those of 2014, 2018, and 2022.
Returning last year to Santos, his training club, Neymar had not been called up to the national team since Ancelotti took over as head coach of the Brazilian team in May 2025. His last match in the five-time world champions’ shirt dates back to October 17, 2023, when he suffered a serious knee injury against Uruguay that kept him away from the fields for several months.
Strong player at Santos
After two almost blank years at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Neymar joined Santos in 2025, where despite many physical setbacks, he played a key role in their stay in the top division last season, before being operated on the same left knee at the end of December.
“Physically, I feel very good,” Neymar assured the press on Sunday after his team’s defeat in the championship against Coritiba (3-0). “I did my best, and it wasn’t easy. (…) I worked hard, in silence, suffering from what people said about me.”
Mixed results for Ancelotti
Deprived of the Madrid Rodrygo, injured in the right knee and out of the World Cup, Ancelotti can also count on the attack on Real Madrid’s star Vinicius Jr, young Lyon player Endrick, and Barcelona’s Raphinha, who is back from a hamstring injury. At the North American World Cup next month, Brazil will face Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti in Group C.
Before that, the team of the Italian coach will play two final preparation matches, in Rio against Panama on May 31st and against Egypt on June 6th in Cleveland, USA. Since Ancelotti took office, Brazil has played ten matches, with a record of five wins, two draws, and three losses, the latest against France (2-1) in March.
