The World Cup has eluded him, again and again
Aos trinta e quatro anos, Neymar foi convocado para sua quarta Copa do Mundo, retornando à Seleção Brasileira após dois anos de ausência forçada por uma grave lesão no joelho. O maior artilheiro da história da Amarelinha — setenta e nove gols em cento e vinte e oito partidas — chega ao torneio de 2026 carregando não apenas a esperança de um país, mas o peso de uma conquista que ainda lhe escapa. Sob o comando de Carlo Ancelotti, este Mundial se apresenta como o encontro derradeiro entre um talento singular e o único título que ainda falta em sua trajetória.
- Após romper o ligamento cruzado anterior em 2023, Neymar passou dois anos à margem do futebol, e sua volta ao alto nível permaneceu incerta por muito tempo.
- A convocação reacende um debate que o acompanha há anos: um jogador em declínio físico pode ainda ser o fator decisivo que o Brasil precisa para vencer um Mundial?
- Pelo Santos, Neymar acumulou dezoito gols e nove assistências em quarenta e cinco partidas — números modestos para seu histórico, mas suficientes para convencer Ancelotti a construir o esquema ao seu redor.
- O Brasil chega ao torneio carregando a memória de três eliminações consecutivas nas quartas de final, e Neymar, protagonista em todas elas, busca finalmente romper esse ciclo.
- A convocação não é apenas esportiva — é um ato de fé coletiva, uma aposta de que o talento e a experiência de um ídolo podem superar os limites do tempo e do corpo.
Em maio de 2026, Neymar foi convocado para a Copa do Mundo da América do Norte, sua quarta participação no torneio. Aos trinta e quatro anos, o atacante do Santos retorna à Seleção Brasileira como o maior artilheiro de sua história — setenta e nove gols em cento e vinte e oito jogos desde a estreia em 2010.
O caminho até esta convocação foi marcado pela incerteza. Em 2023, numa partida eliminatória contra o Uruguai, Neymar rompeu o ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho esquerdo. A lesão o afastou por dois anos e pareceu, por um momento, encerrar um capítulo. Mas ele voltou ao Santos, clube onde nasceu sua lenda, e reencontrou ritmo suficiente para ser chamado novamente.
O que torna esta Copa diferente das anteriores é o peso acumulado. Em 2014, jogando em casa, foi interrompido por uma lesão nas costas nas quartas de final. Em 2018 e 2022, o Brasil caiu na mesma fase. Neymar esteve presente em todas essas despedidas precoces. Venceu a Copa das Confederações em 2013 e a Copa América em 2019, mas o título que mais importa ainda lhe falta.
Sob Carlo Ancelotti, Neymar é tratado como referência técnica central da equipe. A comissão técnica apostou nele, e essa aposta carrega uma pergunta implícita: um jogador na fase final da carreira, recém-saído de uma longa recuperação, ainda pode ser o diferencial que o Brasil precisa? O torneio, mais do que qualquer convocação, dará a resposta.
Neymar is going to the World Cup again. The news came in May 2026, and with it came the weight of history—his own, and Brazil's. At thirty-four years old, the Santos forward has been named to the squad for the tournament in North America, marking his fourth appearance in a World Cup. He arrives as the most prolific goal scorer in Brazilian national team history, with seventy-nine goals across one hundred twenty-eight matches since his debut in 2010.
The path back to this moment was long and uncertain. In 2023, during a qualifier against Uruguay, Neymar tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The injury sidelined him for two years—a chasm of time in a footballer's career, especially one in his thirties. He missed the Copa do Mundo of 2022 in Qatar, where Brazil fell in the quarterfinals under Tite's management. The rupture seemed to mark an ending, not a beginning. But Neymar returned to Brazilian football, to Santos, the club where he first became a prodigy. In his recent stint, he has played forty-five matches, scored eighteen goals, and provided nine assists. It is not the output of a player in his prime, but it is enough to suggest he can still contribute.
Under Carlo Ancelotti's direction, Neymar remains one of the team's central technical references, even as his body continues its slow reconstruction. He carries into this tournament something heavier than his physical condition: the knowledge that he has never won a World Cup. In 2014, playing at home in Brazil, he was a protagonist until a back injury in the quarterfinals ended his tournament. In 2018 in Russia, Brazil lost in the quarterfinals again. In 2022 in Qatar, he returned as a key player and reached the same stage, only to be eliminated once more. He has won other things—the Confederations Cup in 2013, the Copa América in 2019—but the World Cup has eluded him.
His career in Europe, at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, brought him continental titles and moments of brilliance, but also the persistent sense that something remained unfinished. He was the heir to Pelé and Ronaldo, the player meant to carry Brazil back to glory. Instead, he became the player who came close, again and again, in the tournament that matters most.
Now, with the 2026 World Cup ahead, Neymar arrives as a figure of both promise and finality. This may be his last genuine chance. The squad convocation carries an implicit question: can a player in the twilight of his career, returning from a severe injury, still be the difference-maker Brazil needs? Ancelotti clearly believes so. The technical staff has chosen to build around him, to make him central to their plans. Whether that faith is rewarded will depend not just on Neymar's legs, but on the legs of his teammates, the quality of his service, the mercy of chance. The tournament will answer what the convocation only asks.
Citações Notáveis
Neymar remains one of the team's central technical references under Carlo Ancelotti, even as his body continues its slow reconstruction— Editorial assessment of his role
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Neymar's return matter so much? He's been injured for two years—plenty of players come back from that.
Because he's not just any player. He's the greatest goal scorer Brazil has ever produced. One hundred twenty-eight matches, seventy-nine goals. When you're that player, your absence is felt differently.
But he's thirty-four now. Isn't this more about nostalgia than actual football?
Maybe. But he's played forty-five matches since returning to Santos and scored eighteen goals. That's not nostalgia—that's evidence he can still do the job. The question isn't whether he can play. It's whether he can be the player who finally wins the thing he's never won.
The World Cup. He's been three times and never won it.
Exactly. 2014 at home, 2018 in Russia, 2022 in Qatar. Each time, quarterfinals. Each time, something just short of glory. This might be his last chance to change that story.
And Ancelotti thinks he's the key to making it happen?
Ancelotti is building the team around him. That's a statement. It says: we believe this player, even at thirty-four, even coming back from a torn ACL, is still the most important piece we have.
What if he isn't? What if his body doesn't hold up?
Then Brazil will have made a choice and lived with the consequences. But they've chosen to believe in him. That's what the convocation means.