Ancelotti sends message to Neymar before Copa: "If he's fit, he'll play" | OneFootball

Carlo Ancelotti spoke about Neymar this Friday in a press conference after the 2026 World Cup group draw. The coach of the Brazilian National Team stated that he will evaluate the attacking midfielder until May, when he will finalize the list of players for the tournament.

“I understand that everyone is interested in Neymar. We are in December, the World Cup is in June. I will select the team that will play in the World Cup in May. If Neymar deserves to be in the World Cup, if he is well, he will play, and that's it. I have no debt to anyone,” he said.

“Brazil can be with or without Neymar. The final list will be made after the FIFA date in March,” he added.

Neymar has been left out of all of Ancelotti's call-ups. The Italian coach believes that players must be 100% physically fit to wear the Brazilian jersey.

The attacking midfielder from Santos is suffering from injuries in this second stint at Santos. Today, he is dealing with a left knee injury, but he is playing through the pain to help the club avoid relegation in the Brazilian Championship.

Despite this issue, the Peixe idol is standing out. He scored a goal in the 3-0 victory over Sport and a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Juventude last Wednesday.

Neymar hopes to earn a chance with the National Team in March, in friendlies against France and Croatia.

See other excerpts from Ancelotti's press conference

Group evaluation “We have a lot of respect for the group opponents, they are strong rivals. Morocco did well in the 2022 World Cup and has been performing well in recent games too, they are solid and well-organized. Scotland as well. They deserve to be here in the World Cup. We have to respect everyone, including Haiti, who is in the World Cup for the second time.”

Concerns in the USA “We have to wait for the definition of where we will play to plan ourselves. I think we won't have a climate problem, unlike in '94, when many games were at 12 pm. Football has evolved. We won't play at that time.”

World Cup preparation “We have time to prepare well for the World Cup. Everything is well planned. We have to find a good training center here in the USA. We will see about that. Today we have no concerns. Everything is thought out. We have to wait for the calendar.”

Change in World Cup structure “This doesn't have a specific weight. The goal is not to have easy games. The goal is to play the final. Brazil's goal is to reach the final. Before or after, there will be strong teams. It doesn't change much the thinking.”

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