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Neymar’s return to Santos last year was a full-circle moment for Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer…but now he might get a repeat experience he does not enjoy.
The former Barcelona and PSG star had a two-year injury-hit spell in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal before heading back to Brazil to rejoin his first senior club Santos in January 2025.
Neymar has found goalscoring form for Santos and will have hoped that would be enough to get him in Carlo Ancelotti’s thoughts for this summer’s World Cup. However, that’s only half the story – as the Brazil boss has made clear.
Carlo Ancelotti dubious about Neymar’s World Cup hopes
Neymar returned to Santos in 2025 | Credit: Getty Images
Neymar has struggled to find consistent fitness since tearing his ACL towards the end of 2023, with repeated injuries limiting his ability to turn out regularly at club level.
That could mean that Neymar is absent from Brazil’s World Cup squad for the first time since 2010, when Dunga decided he was too young and inexperienced to go to South Africa despite a popular movement calling for his inclusion.
Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti has not yet made up his mind on Neymar | Credit: Getty Images
Neymar has not played for Brazil since 2023, and Ancelotti seemed sceptical as to whether he should be included in his squad for this summer’s tournament in North America.
The Italian told the Athletic that Neymar ‘was and is’ in his thoughts, but that a decision will only be made when it comes time to name his final squad.
Ancelotti said: “He is a great talent. What we have to look for with him is not if he’s able to trap the ball or pass the ball. [The question] is if his condition is good.”
Brazil will kick off their World Cup against Morocco at Metlife Stadium on Saturday, June 13, with Scotland and Haiti making up the rest of their group.
Neymar set a new outright goals record for Brazil with his last two strikes, which came in a brace against Bolivia in September 2023.
Neymar has not featured for Brazil since 2023 | Credit: Getty
That pushed the forward onto 79 goals, two clear of Pele, whose record had stood since 1971 and which Neymar had equalled by scoring in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals against Croatia.
Brazil went on to lose that game on penalties, however, extending a disappointing World Cup record for the five-time world champions.
They have gone out in the quarter-finals every time since last winning it in 2002, with the exception of 2014, when they reached the semi-finals…only to suffer their most humiliating ever defeat as Germany smashed them 7-1.
