🤬 Just a marketing machine: ex-Bundesliga star slams Neymar | OneFootball

The longing in Brazil for a sixth World Cup title is huge, but the reality looks sobering. If you ask Bayern legend Giovane Elber, the Seleção will not play a major role at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. In an exclusive interview with 'SportBild', the former Bundesliga top scorer paints a bleak picture of the record world champion’s title chances.

"The qualification campaign was not good, we had three coaches during that period. Brazil can make it to the quarter-finals. But to win the trophy, a lot of things would have to fall into place — and that won’t happen in such a short time. What perhaps gives a little hope: under Ancelotti, the Seleção are once again playing more as a team," says Elber.

Harsh criticism of the superstar’s call-up

The main focus of Elber’s criticism is Brazil’s biggest star: Neymar. In the view of the 2001 Champions League winner, the fact that the attacker is in the World Cup squad is by no means due to outstanding performances on the pitch. 

"A large majority demanded Neymar’s call-up. Even the president got involved and publicly spoke out in his favor. The pressure on Ancelotti kept growing, so he had no other choice," Elber speculates.

The former Bayern player also has clear words for the superstar himself: "I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t have called him up. Maybe Neymar will surprise me and play as well as he did a few years ago. But I don’t believe that. Neymar used to be a world-class footballer, today he is nothing more than a marketing machine."

The sporting decline began in Paris

Elber dates the gifted technician’s sporting decline back almost a decade. The fatal turning point was his departure from Barcelona.

"It all started with his move from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. That was a big mistake. I know the French league from my time at Olympique Lyon (seasons 2003/04 and 2004/05; editor’s note), it is too weak competitively. From that moment on, things went downhill for him as a footballer," says Elber.

He also has drastic words for Neymar’s subsequent spell in the desert state: "That was nothing more than a paid vacation for Neymar," Elber explains. "Since the start of 2025, he has been playing for Santos again in Brazil and has often been injured, with no real match rhythm for a long time. So how is that supposed to work now at the World Cup? In my view, the best players should go to the World Cup — and they also have to be fit. For Neymar, Ancelotti left Chelsea’s Pedro at home, even though he had a good season. That wasn’t fair."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 MAURO PIMENTEL - AFP or licensors