Santos player appears on the CBF pre-list sent to FIFA, but still does not have a guaranteed presence in the tournament to be played in North America
Coach Carlo Ancelotti once again commented on the possibility of calling up Neymar for the World Cup and made it clear that the decision will depend exclusively on the attacker. In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, the coach stated that the evaluation of the number 10 depends mainly on the physical condition presented in the coming weeks.
Neymar’s situation continues to be one of the main issues behind the scenes of the Brazilian team on the eve of the final call-up for the World Cup. The striker appears on the pre-list sent by the CBF to FIFA, but still does not have a guaranteed presence among the 26 chosen to compete in the tournament in North America.
Ancelotti highlighted that there are no doubts about the player’s technical quality, but stressed that the physical appearance will be decisive for any definition.
“Neymar’s call-up depends solely on him. It depends on what the player demonstrates on the field. This is a very clear criterion and it doesn’t just apply to Neymar. With most players, it is necessary to evaluate talent and physical condition. With Neymar, we only need to evaluate physical condition, because his talent is indisputable. It depends on him, not on me”, he said.
The Italian coach arrives at the national team in a different scenario from his predecessors who centralized the sporting project around Neymar. At 34 years old, the attacker lives with recurring physical problems e has not played with the Amarelinha shirt since October 2023.
Even though he is the biggest scorer in the history of the national team, with 79 goals, Neymar still divides opinions in the country. Recent research by the Datafolha institute showed that 53% of Brazilians defend their call for the World Cup, while 34% are against e 13% are undecided.
Behind the scenes at CBF, the player’s presence is also treated with caution. In addition to physical recovery, recent episodes involving behavior worry managers and members of the technical committee. The most recent case occurred after , a situation that increased fears about a possible negative impact on the delegation’s environment.
The final selection list will be announced on May 18 – -. Internally, Ancelotti would have already few doubts about the chosen names, and the pre-call with 55 athletes works mainly as protection for possible exchanges in case of injury.
