When striker Hugo Ekitiké scored the French team’s second goal in the duel against Brazil at Gillette Stadium, in Boston, part of the fans in the stands began to shout for striker Neymar, persistently absent from Carlo Ancelotti’s lists.
At 34 years old, far from his physical peak and struggling to help Santos at the start of the season, Neymar remains a hope for part of the Brazilian fans after more than two years since his last appearance with the yellow shirt, amid the lack of a name who has managed to take on the role of protagonist in his place.
In the confrontation against the French in the United States, with a series of absences in the defense and midfield, the expectation was that the Brazilian offensive power, led by Vinicius Junior and Raphinha, could make a difference.
Despite going through great times at Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the Brazilian national team, the attacking duo — who should be among the 11 starters in World Cup games — have not been able to repeat the same performance for a long time, with their new lackluster performance against France attracting criticism from fans and journalists.
Even with the defeat, coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his attackers after the match. “Raphinha played very well. Then he had a problem and we had to change him, but he had a lot of opportunities, with very good movement without the ball”, said the Italian.
“Vini is always dangerous. He may not have scored, but an attacker can always score goals”, added the coach, who did not want to talk about the charges coming from the stands by Neymar.
“I believe that now we have to talk about those who are here, who played, gave everything, showed their faces. I’m satisfied and we’re going to prepare for the next game against Croatia.”
In the 2025/26 season, Vinicius Junior is one of Real’s main names, runner-up to Espanyol and qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, against Bayern Munich.
He took to the field in 43 matches for the Madrid club, scoring 17 goals — an average of 0.4 per match — in addition to 9 assists. With Brazil, he was present in nine matches between 2025 and 2026, with three goals — an average of 0.3 — and one assist.
At Barcelona, leader of Espanyol and with a duel against Atlético de Madrid in the Champions League, Raphinha has 31 games this season, with 19 goals — an average of 0.6 — and seven assists. For the national team, there have been six appearances since last year, with one goal.
In the only tournament played in the current cycle for the World Cup, the pair also had a discreet performance during the Copa América, with elimination in the quarterfinals against Uruguay.
Raphinha made four appearances and scored in the draw with Colombia during the tournament, while Vini Jr. made three appearances and two goals, both in the 4-1 rout of Paraguay, in two group stage games.
In the 2022 World Cup, with Neymar still on the field, the two then World Cup debutants had also not achieved great performances. Vini Jr. made four appearances and scored in the 4-1 defeat of South Korea. Raphinha played in five matches of the Brazilian campaign, without goals.
Before the duel in Boston, Vinicius Junior had already discussed the pressure and challenge of trying to repeat his good performance with the Spanish club and with the Brazilian team.
“I always try to be at my best, scoring goals and providing assists, because that way I’m calmer, happier, and when I’m happier, everyone on my side is also happier and more confident. And I hope that everything I do for Real Madrid I can do here in the Brazilian team, which is my biggest goal, where I’ve always dreamed of being,” said the striker.
“I want to give a lot of pride to our country and a lot of joy to our entire nation.”
The Brazilian team returns to the field next Tuesday (31), in a duel against Croatia, at 9 pm (Brasília time), at the Camping World Stadium, in Orlando, Florida.
The repeat of the duel for the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, when Tite’s team was eliminated on penalties, is the last match before the final squad list for the World Cup, which should be released on May 18th.
