Santos star Neymar da Silva continues his relentless pursuit of a return to the Brazilian national team. He has made a new, somewhat unusual decision, hoping it will be a way to convince coach Carlo Ancelotti to include him in the Seleção’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
The Italian coach had excluded Neymar from the friendly matches against France and Croatia during the March international break, extending the former Barcelona star’s absence from representing his country since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in October 2023.
Ancelotti insisted that Neymar will only return to the national team if he plays regularly for his club, Santos, and performs well. In his current physical condition, it is impossible to allow him to join the Seleção.
According to Brazilian media reports, Neymar has decided to refrain from playing any away matches at his club, Vila Belmiro, in order to manage his physical workload and avoid the muscle fatigue and recurring injuries that have plagued his career in the past year.
Neymar’s move might seem unusual, but it’s not unprecedented. Luis Suárez did the same during his time at Grêmio to protect his knee.
However, questions remain about whether Neymar’s actions, just two months before the 2026 World Cup, make sense, especially given that Ancelotti has made it clear he will not compromise on any aspect of the game, regardless of the pressure.
