Neymar left out of squad, scores in Kings League, says he's "sad" | OneFootball

Left out of the call-up list for the Brazilian National Team, announced this Monday by coach Carlo Ancelotti, striker Neymar made an appearance at another stage of the Kings League. President of Furia, an esports organization, the Santos star went to Guarulhos and took the “president’s penalty,” a goal that counts double in this format.

Neymar went to the Kings League stadium in Guarulhos, about 80 km from CT Rei Pelé, after completing recovery work with the Santos squad. The star converted his penalty, but saw Furia lose to DesemPain by 7 to 4.

After the match ended, Neymar spoke about not being called up for the Brazilian National Team. The striker described the situation as “sad,” but still hopes to be selected in the final list for the friendlies before the World Cup.

“I’ll say it here, because I can’t let it go unnoticed. Obviously I’m upset, sad, for not being called up,” said the star in an interview with PodPah.

“But the focus remains day by day, training after training, game after game. We will achieve our goal. There’s still a final call-up and the dream continues,” he concluded.

Can Ancelotti call up Neymar?

After announcing the players called up to the National Team, Ancelotti explained Neymar’s absence. In the coach’s opinion, the Santos striker is still not at his best physical condition.

“It’s a physical assessment, not a technical one. With the ball, Neymar is doing very well. He needs to improve physically. For me, he’s not at 100%. He needs to work to be 100% within his possibilities. That’s my opinion and the opinion of everyone on the staff who have watched and will watch his games in the coming months,” said Ancelotti at a press conference at the CBF headquarters this Monday.

“Neymar can be at the World Cup if he’s 100%. I didn’t call him now because he’s not 100%. I need players who are 100%. Neymar has to keep working, playing, and showing his qualities in good physical condition,” he concluded.

Upcoming matches for the Brazilian National Team

Schedule until the World Cup

The list for the Brazilian National Team for the 2026 World Cup will be announced by Carlo Ancelotti on May 18. On the 25th, the squad will begin preparations for the World Cup at Granja Comary, in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro.

The last match of the canarinho squad on home soil will be on May 31, against Panama, at Maracanã. The delegation will depart for the United States on June 1 and will have one last test before the start of the World Cup, against Egypt, in Cleveland, on the 6th.

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