He was absent from combat for 65 percent of the cycle
Aos 34 anos e carregando o peso de três Copas marcadas por lesões, eliminações e promessas não cumpridas, Neymar foi convocado por Carlo Ancelotti para representar o Brasil em 2026 — seu quarto Mundial. A seleção é ao mesmo tempo um ato de fé e uma aposta calculada: o jogador mais talentoso do país passou 65% do ciclo classificatório no departamento médico, mas ainda assim foi chamado, em parte por insistência de companheiros que acreditam que o gênio, mesmo fraturado, vale o risco. Há algo de profundamente humano nessa tensão entre o que um atleta já foi e o que seu corpo ainda permite.
- Neymar chega ao quarto Mundial como uma pergunta, não como uma certeza — convocado apesar de ter passado 817 dos 1.256 dias do ciclo classificatório fora dos gramados por lesões.
- A trajetória é uma sequência de tragédias e lampejos: vértebra fraturada em 2014, críticas por simulações em 2018, tornozelo torcido e pênalti que nunca chegou em 2022.
- O retorno ao Santos em janeiro de 2025 foi uma tentativa desesperada de recuperar a forma física, mas o clube estava afundando na luta contra o rebaixamento e Neymar se esgotou ajudando a salvá-lo.
- Ancelotti resistiu até o último momento, e foi a pressão de Raphinha e Casemiro — não a recuperação plena do jogador — que inclinou a balança a favor da convocação.
- A Copa de 2026 se apresenta como a última chance de Neymar fechar um ciclo em aberto: o único grande troféu que ainda lhe escapa.
Neymar vai à sua quarta Copa do Mundo. Carlo Ancelotti anunciou o nome do craque entre os 26 convocados para o torneio de 2026, sediado no Canadá, nos Estados Unidos e no México. É a primeira vez na carreira em que sua presença na seleção foi genuinamente contestada.
A história de Neymar nas Copas é feita de extremos. Em 2014, no Brasil, marcou dois gols na estreia contra a Croácia — mas uma entrada brutal de Zúñiga fraturou sua vértebra nas quartas de final. Ele assistiu do banco ao histórico 7-1 contra a Alemanha. Em 2018, na Rússia, chegou como o jogador mais caro do mundo e saiu marcado pelas simulações e pela eliminação para a Bélgica. Em 2022, no Qatar, torceu o tornozelo na estreia, voltou mancando para as oitavas, criou um gol de gênio contra a Croácia nas quartas — mas a Croácia empatou, o jogo foi para os pênaltis, e Neymar nunca chegou a bater o seu.
Depois do Qatar, veio a lesão mais grave: ruptura do ligamento cruzado anterior e dano no menisco do joelho esquerdo, em outubro de 2023, enquanto defendia o Al-Hilal. Quase um ano fora. Quando voltou, o corpo ainda não respondia. Para recuperar a forma e garantir a convocação, assinou com o Santos em janeiro de 2025 — e encontrou um clube em colapso, recém-promovido e ameaçado de rebaixamento. Neymar jogou partidas decisivas contra Sport, Juventude e Cruzeiro, exausto, ajudando o clube a se salvar. O esforço cobrou seu preço.
Os números revelam a hesitação de Ancelotti: entre a eliminação no Qatar e a convocação desta semana, Neymar ficou 817 de 1.256 dias no departamento médico — 65% de todo o ciclo. Quando o técnico finalmente o chamou, não foi porque as dúvidas tinham desaparecido. Foi porque Raphinha e Casemiro pediram por ele. Foi porque, mesmo quebrado, Neymar continua sendo o jogador mais talentoso do Brasil. A questão agora é se ele conseguirá se manter inteiro tempo suficiente para, enfim, conquistar o único troféu que ainda lhe falta.
Neymar is going to his fourth World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti announced the Brazilian's name among 26 players selected to represent the national team in 2026, when Canada, the United States, and Mexico will host the tournament. It is a selection that has drawn sharp criticism—the first time in his career that Neymar's place in the squad has been genuinely contested.
The path to this moment has been marked by extremes. In 2014, playing at home in São Paulo, Neymar scored twice in Brazil's opening match against Croatia, a 3-1 victory that seemed to promise everything. But in the quarterfinals against Colombia, a brutal tackle from defender Zúñiga fractured his spine. He watched from the sidelines as Brazil collapsed in the semifinals, losing 7-1 to Germany. The tournament ended in fourth place.
Four years later in Russia, Neymar arrived as part of Barcelona's legendary MSN trio alongside Messi and Suárez, then departed as the world's most expensive player after PSG paid 222 million euros for him. Yet the 2018 World Cup became defined not by brilliance but by criticism—he was mocked for diving, for theatricality, for failing to deliver when it mattered. Belgium eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals, 2-1.
The 2022 tournament in Qatar began with promise. Neymar was a global star, fresh from months of playing alongside Messi and Mbappé at PSG. Brazil entered as one of the tournament favorites. Seventy-nine minutes into the opening match against Serbia, Neymar twisted his ankle under a challenge from Nikola Milenkovic. He spent the next weeks in the team hotel doing physical therapy day and night while his teammates advanced. He returned for the knockout stages, limping through a 4-1 win over South Korea, then produced a moment of genius against Croatia in the quarterfinals—a dribble past the goalkeeper, a finish that sent Brazil into ecstasy. But Croatia equalized in the final minutes, and the match went to penalties. Neymar never got to take his shot. The Seleção was eliminated.
Now, at 34, Neymar arrives at his fourth World Cup as a question mark. After Qatar, he moved to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, where he suffered a catastrophic injury in October 2023—a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage in his left knee. He was absent from competition for nearly a year. When he returned, his body would not cooperate. Seeking match fitness to earn his place in the 2026 squad, he signed with Santos in January 2025, returning to the club where his career began.
What he found was a team drowning. Santos had just been promoted back to Brazil's top division and was fighting for survival. Neymar, overloaded and exhausted, played in crucial matches against Sport, Juventude, and Cruzeiro to keep the club from falling again. The effort cost him. He was left out of every squad Ancelotti named until the final 26 were announced.
The numbers explain the coach's hesitation. Between his elimination in Qatar and this week's call-up, Neymar spent 817 of 1,256 days in the medical department. That is 65 percent of the entire World Cup cycle. When Ancelotti finally named him, it was not because the doubts had vanished. It was because Raphinha and Casemiro, two of Brazil's best players, asked for him. It was because, even broken, Neymar remains Brazil's most talented player. The question now is whether he can stay healthy long enough to finally win the trophy that has eluded him.
Citações Notáveis
Raphinha and Casemiro, two of Brazil's principal players, advocated for his inclusion— reporting on Ancelotti's decision-making
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Ancelotti wait so long to call him up if he's supposedly Brazil's best player?
Because the numbers were terrifying. Neymar was injured or recovering for nearly two-thirds of the entire qualification cycle. You can't build a team around someone who might not be available when it matters most.
But he was playing for Santos at the end. Wasn't he fit?
He was playing, yes. But he was also exhausted. He was carrying a team that was barely staying afloat. That's not the same as being ready for a World Cup.
So why include him at all?
Because his teammates—the ones who play with him every day—believed he could still be the difference. And because, even diminished, Neymar is still capable of things no one else on that team can do.
Is this his last chance?
Almost certainly. He's 34. If he doesn't win it this time, he probably never will. That's the weight he's carrying to North America.
Do you think he'll stay healthy?
That's the question everyone is asking. His body has been unreliable for years now. But he's also shown he can play through pain when the stakes are highest.