The presence of Neymar among the 26 called up for Carlo Ancelotti to defend the Brazilian team in the World Cup had repercussions worldwide. Vehicles from different countries analyzed the call-up of Santos’ number 10.
During the entire Selection cycle under the command of the Italian coach, Neymar was not present on any of the five previously released lists. The star’s appearance took place “when the lights went out”, only on , announced this Monday (18).
For this reason, the Argentine newspaper Ole classified the star’s call-up as a “miracle”. Despite this, the vehicle highlighted the attacker’s resilience, who managed to recover from a knee injury without giving up his goal of playing in his last game.
The newspaper also analyzed Neymar’s current situation within the four lines and highlighted the evolution shown by the player in recent matches. Finally, the Ole stated that, even without repeating his performance from previous years, he “remains Neymar”.
Olé’s analysis of Neymar’s call-up
“A miracle happened. Against all expectations, especially because he had not been called up by Ancelotti and had not worn the Brazilian national team’s shirt for more than two years (since his serious knee injury against Uruguay in the World Cup qualifiers in October 2013), Neymar will play in his fourth World Cup.
Despite having suffered in previous call-ups for not being selected by the Italian coach — who, however, followed him closely — Neymar, 34, maintained his hope of representing his country in the World Cup. He has been preparing for this in recent times. At the end of last year, after saving Santos from relegation in the Brasileirão, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Regarding his current form, despite not being at his peak at Santos, he has participated in 15 matches this season, scoring six goals and providing four assists. He’s in a good phase. Although he is no longer the player who dominated Barcelona or PSG, he is still Neymar.”
Neymar at the World Cup
In 2026, at a World Cup for the fourth time. The star has already played in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions. In World Cups, he has played 13 games for Brazil, in addition to eight goals and three assists.
In the last World Cup, held in 2022, in Qatar, Neymar played in just three matches due to an ankle injury suffered in the debut, against Serbia. On that occasion, number 10 was constantly targeted by opponents and suffered nine fouls throughout the match.
In the quarter-finals, against Croatia, Neymar scored the goal that almost guaranteed Brazil a place in the semi-finals, already in extra time. The Brazilian team, however, suffered a draw in the final minutes and ended up eliminated on penalties.
Neymar is the , with 79 goals scored.
