Brazil’s national team coach Carlo Ancelotti said that Neymar (pictured) still has time to recover and regain his form to qualify for this summer’s World Cup.
In an interview with L’Équipe and in response to questions about Neymar, Ancelotti said: “He has the ability to recover to 100% fitness. The Brazilian Football Confederation and I are evaluating him, and he has two months to prove that he is fit enough to participate in the next World Cup.”
A regular for the Brazilian national team since 2013, Neymar has not played for his country since suffering from a left knee injury in 2023. He underwent minimally invasive knee surgery on December 22nd, and reportedly received platelet-rich plasma therapy during the international break in early April to further aid his recovery.
“Neymar has recovered very well since his knee injury in December,” said Ancelotti. “He’s scoring goals, and he needs to keep going and improve his fitness. He’s on the right track.”
The 34-year-old star, who has scored 79 goals for Brazil, is the club’s all-time leading scorer and has publicly expressed his desire to represent Brazil at this summer’s World Cup in North America.
Neymar is currently the captain of Brazilian Serie A side Santos, and his contract expires at the end of this year. Having previously played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, he was one of the world’s top attacking players, playing alongside Messi at both clubs.
In five appearances for Santos this season, Neymar has contributed three goals and two assists. Although he missed the previous two matches, he played the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s (11th) 1-0 league victory against Atletico Mineiro.
Ancelotti said, “Neymar has been making history for Brazilian football, both in the past and present. He’s a great talent, and people naturally think he can help us win the next World Cup.”
However, since the Italian coach took over last June, Neymar has not been called up to the national team squad. I’ve said it many times, and it’s very clear: I will call up players who are physically ready.
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