Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that everyone wants Neymar to get back to his best physical condition before the FIFA World Cup 2026. The star striker has struggled with injuries in the last couple of years and thus he hasn’t been able to spend enough time on the pitch.
Neymar has returned to his boyhood club Santos after hardly playing for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, after joining in 2023.
When asked if he feels uncomfortable to be constantly asked questions about Neymar, Ancelotti told Placar: “No, no problem. It’s normal [that people ask] because Neymar is a legend of Brazilian football.
“Everyone wants Neymar to get back to his best physical condition. Brazil’s FA [CBF], the coach, the national team’s technical staff, the players hope that Neymar can return to his best level.”
The former Real Madrid gaffer added that Neymar needs to be in good physical condition to be considered for national selection.
“The truth is that today’s football demands many things,” he said. “Not only talent, but also physical condition, intensity … hopefully Neymar will be at his best level.”
The former PSG and Barcelona striker has not played for Brazil since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury while on international duty in October 2023.
Meanwhile, Santos executive director Alexandre Mattos put his weight behind Neymar and posted a photograph of the forward on social media with a long message lauding the player’s qualities.
“Geniuses are misunderstood, it has always been that way in human history, they think ahead of their time, they do things differently, they make a difference … they are insatiable for challenges, for changes, for goals that few manage to achieve,” Mattos said.
“They leave legacies, they make history … But they are also human beings, they get things right and wrong, they smile and cry, they have feelings, a heart, they breathe, they live and survive the blows of life.
“You are like that, a genius… Those who know you know the human being you are, the heart you have, the humility you exude, the concern you have for everyone, the father and friend you are…They try to defeat you, they can’t, they try to knock you down, you get up, everything is bigger than you, but you are bigger than everything.
“You are admired and adored by me and everyone who knows you, by billions around the world who dream of being like you… you earned it, you deserve it … Difficult times make men stronger!!”
