Most Brazilians want coach Carlo Ancelotti to mention Neymar’s name on May 18, when announcing the 26 Brazilian players called up for the World Cup. This is what the most recent Datafolha survey points out.
According to the survey, 53% of the population want to see the 34-year-old striker at this year’s World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The portion against the call is 34%; 8% are indifferent, and 5% did not know how to answer. The numbers are more favorable to the athlete compared to the previous survey: in June last year, 48% were in favor, and 41% were against.
The institute interviewed 2,004 people aged 16 and over on April 7, 8 and 9, in 137 municipalities. The margin of error for the numbers presented in the general sample is two percentage points, plus or minus.
The main athlete in Brazilian football in the 2010s, Neymar has faced difficulties in recent seasons. Physical problems began to accumulate, and he never managed to recover his best level since the most serious of injuries, a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee, in October 2023.
At that point, the São Paulo native from Mogi das Cruzes was already at Al Hilal, in Saudi Arabia, in a very rich but peripheral market in football. And he couldn’t play. In just over a year and five months with the team, he took to the field seven times, with one goal and two assists.
At the beginning of 2025, he returned to the club where he started. The idea announced upon his return to Santos was to regain his joy and form, precisely with the intention of returning to the national team.
The first year of the meeting, however, was far from the expectations shouted at the presentation party: “I come back wanting to be a champion.” The greatest black and white glory was escaping relegation to the second division of the Brazilian Championship.
Neymar played in 28 games for the beach team in 2025 and in eight in 2026, a total of 36, with 15 goals and seven assists. With muscle and ligament injuries, he had enormous difficulty getting onto the field regularly. When he entered, he had good moments – even though he was a sacrifice, he was decisive in avoiding relegation in the Brazilian Championship – and also very discreet performances.
“I’m not going to be the Neymar of ten years ago, I’m not going to be. It’s very different. Today, I’ve improved my game in a way that, for me, is necessary,” he said, in a video published on social media. He has been publicizing his training and day-to-day activities on recordings, always with the obvious presence of sponsors.
The day after publication, he performed poorly in the classic against Corinthians. And, the following day, he was left out of Ancelotti’s last squad before the final World Cup list was announced.
The coach is always cordial when asked about the old star. He doesn’t close the door on him, but he hasn’t called him once and insists that he will only use “100%” physical players. This is not Neymar’s situation, which makes people close to the commander consider the call-up very difficult.
In his most recent interview, given to French newspaper L’Equipe, Ancelotti said the striker “is on the right path”. “He needs to continue in this direction and improve his fitness,” he said.
The Italian even visited the small José Maria de Campos Maia stadium, in Mirassol, last month, to watch Mirassol x Santos. The only player who could actually be considered for the national team would be Neymar. But he didn’t play, with muscle discomfort.
It doesn’t help the athlete that the attack is the sector with the most quality options in the team. Even without Rodrygo, who had a serious injury and is out of the World Cup, Carletto has Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Estêvão, Matheus Cunha, Luiz Henrique, Gabriel Martinelli, João Pedro, Igor Thiago and Endrick at his disposal.
In the team’s most recent friendly, 3-1 over Croatia, Luiz Enrique and Endrick stood out, Igor Thiago and Martinelli scored. And the possibility of Neymar going to the World Cup became even more remote.
But the veteran is still a big football character, with three World Cups under his belt. Although the number of games is much greater than that of names like Pelé – due to changes in the sport’s dynamics and calendar –, no one scored more for the national team than him: 79 goals in 128 matches.
His appeal is greater among young people, who grew up watching his best moments, especially with the Barcelona shirt. In the group of people aged 16 to 24, with a margin of error of five percentage points, 65% are in favor of being called up, with 24% against. Among those over 60, with the same margin of error, the distance is much smaller: 46% to 38%.
Neymar is also more appreciated by those who recognize themselves on the right of the political spectrum. A declared voter of Jair Bolsonaro in 2022, his call is supported by 62% of those who say they will vote for Jair’s son, Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), in the next presidential election, with 26% against – the margin of error is four percentage points. Among those who say they will vote for Lula (PT), with a three-point margin of error, there are 46% in favor and 43% against.
