Brazilian forward Neymar has stirred up a storm with his recent on-field behaviour and comments as he looks to make a comeback to the national squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The 34-year-old has not represented his country since October 2023 and is in a race against time to prove his fitness before the tournament squad submission deadline.
Neymar, who plays for the Brazilian top-tier club Santos, has endured an injury-plagued career that has seen him spend months on the sidelines and miss out on crucial playing time. The latest incident occurred during Santos’s Serie A match against Coritiba, where match officials mistakenly signaled Neymar’s number 10 for substitution in the 65th minute.
Neymar refused to leave the field, received a yellow card, and angrily snatched the substitution slip from the fourth official, showing it to TV cameras to prove that teammate Gonzalo Escobar was meant to be substituted. Santos lost the match 3-0 and are close to the relegation zone with 18 points from 16 games. The club later confirmed the error, calling it “an inexplicable error that was not corrected.”
Neymar’s place in the World Cup squad has been the biggest talking point in local media and among fans. He has scored six goals in 15 appearances for Santos since returning from knee surgery in February, but muscle injuries have sidelined him again. Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals (two more than Pele) has publicly expressed his desire to return, but head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make the final decision.
Ancelotti has repeatedly said Neymar must prove his fitness. “Neymar is an important player for this country because of the talent he has always shown. But he has had problems and is working hard to recover. He has improved a lot recently and is playing regularly. It is obviously not such an easy decision for me. We have to weigh up the pros and cons carefully,” Ancelotti told Reuters.
Teammates have lobbied for Neymar’s inclusion, while supporters remain split between affection and anxiety over whether his body can still keep pace with his imagination. Ancelotti insisted the decision would be his alone: “I haven’t been pressured by anyone to call up Neymar. I have complete autonomy. The decision will be 100% professional. I will only take into account how he is performing as a footballer. Nothing else.”
Neymar said on Sunday he had to endure “nonsense” criticism during his recovery and is satisfied he has done all he can to prove fitness. “Physically, I feel great. I’ve been improving with every game. I’ve done my absolute best – it wasn’t easy. It’s been years of hard work, and also of a lot of nonsense being said about my condition,” Neymar said.
Ancelotti is expected to name his preliminary squad on Monday, with up to 55 players, but the final 26-man squad will be confirmed by June 1. Even if fully fit, Neymar must fit into Ancelotti’s plans, which require four forwards who can run, press, and track back – a demanding template for a player who has struggled to maintain consistent match time.
Source: www.aljazeera.com