Neymar’s Brazil recall has become a flashpoint, with public criticism mounting while Carlo Ancelotti and senior players defend his role.
Neymar’s place in Brazil’s squad has become one of the defining debates around the team, even before the forward has played a minute in the tournament.
The dispute, detailed by Varzesh3, centers on his injury status, Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to call him up and the broader question of whether Brazil’s No. 10 still deserves a central role while working back from a muscle problem. The discussion has moved beyond team selection and into politics, public perception and the weight Neymar continues to carry in Brazilian football.
The sharpest public remark came from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who, at an event in Belo Horizonte, asked a child to name Brazil’s best player. After the child answered Neymar, Lula mocked the forward’s absence from the field, saying: “Neymar doesn’t even play. He is the first national-team player working remotely.”
Criticism has also come from inside Brazilian football. José Boto, Flamengo’s sporting director, questioned how a player who had appeared only twice in the previous two months could be called up, while Flamengo striker Pedro — described in the report as a 15-goal scorer and the Brazilian top flight’s leading scorer in a team that struggles to score — was left out.
The skepticism reflects a wider frustration that has followed Neymar for years: injuries, fitness doubts, scrutiny of his choices and, at times, his political positioning. This time, the criticism has intensified because he occupies a squad place while still completing the final stages of recovery.
Inside the Brazil camp, however, the message has been markedly different. Ancelotti has consistently defended the call-up as a football decision and did not retreat even after Neymar’s injury was described as more serious than Santos’ medical staff had initially indicated.
Before the World Cup, Ancelotti said Neymar had two months to prove he had the quality needed to play in the tournament. After the squad was named, he maintained that Brazil considered him an important player and a key piece for the competition. When asked about replacing him after the injury was confirmed, Ancelotti said the team had no intention of bringing in another player for anyone.
The coach has also indicated that Neymar is nearing a return, saying the forward would train individually, rejoin group work on Monday and be available for the match against Scotland.
Senior players have also closed ranks around him. Vinicius, Brazil’s No. 7, said Neymar remains a reference point for the squad: “Neymar is our role model.” Lucas Paquetá voiced similar support, saying the team was happy for him and hoped to see him back on the pitch soon because he remains vital to Brazil.
For now, Neymar has stayed quiet publicly in response to the criticism, focusing on training and rehabilitation. His next opportunity to shift the conversation will come not through another statement, but through whether he can return to the field and justify the faith Brazil’s staff and dressing room have kept in him.
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