Neymar in the 26, Ancelotti confirms Brazil's World Cup squad | OneFootball

His tears as he listened to the Brazilian national anthem before his final match with Santos, against Coritiba, reflected more than ever his desire to play in the World Cup. “He has two months to show he has the quality to play in the next World Cup,” Carlo Ancelotti, coach of the Brazilian national team, had said in early April, and his words had an effect. Just 45 days later, the coach confirmed at a press conference held at Maracanã Stadium that Neymar, at 34, will be present at football’s biggest event.

“Now comes the good part,” Ancelotti said when he began naming the forwards who will travel to the World Cup, after taking out the folder and starting with the goalkeepers, defenders, and midfielders. And when he mentioned Neymar, the fans in attendance celebrated. Ney appeared in the select group alongside Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), and Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid).

The former Barcelona player, who has already taken part—with little luck—in the 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, and 2022 Qatar World Cups, has not played for the national team since October 2023, in the 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in the South American qualifiers at the Centenario, during Fernando Diniz’s interim spell.

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