Brazilian forward Neymar has stirred up a storm with his recent on-field behaviour and comments as he looks to make a comeback to the national squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The 34-year-old has not represented his country since October 2023 and is in a race against time to prove his fitness before the tournament squad submission deadline.
Neymar, who plays for the Brazilian top-tier club Santos, has endured an injury-plagued career that has seen him spend months on the sidelines and miss out on crucial playing time.
Here’s what we know about the latest incidents involving Neymar:
Neymar was mistakenly substituted during Santos’s Serie A match against Coritiba after match officials signalled the wrong player number.
The striker was left fuming after the fourth official held up the substitution board with Neymar’s number 10 on display, forcing the player to come off the pitch in the 65th minute.
Robinho Jr came on to replace Neymar, who refused to leave the field and ended up receiving a yellow card for his behaviour.
Neymar, angered by the apparent error on the official’s part, had to be hauled off the pitch. He insisted that teammate Gonzalo Escobar was to be substituted.
The Santos captain then gesticulated at the official, snatched the substitution slip from him, and showed it to television cameras to prove that Escobar’s name was on the paper instead of his own.
Santos lost the match 3-0 and are close to the relegation zone with 18 points from 16 games.
The club later confirmed the match official made an erroneous substitution.
“The fourth official got the substitution wrong,” Santos said in a post on X.
“This was confirmed by the television coverage and by the note used by the officials during the substitution. An inexplicable error that was not corrected.”
The famous number 10’s place in the World Cup squad has been the biggest talking point in local media and among his fans in recent weeks.
Neymar has spent the past few months trying to prove his fitness for the June 11 to July 19 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has scored six goals in 15 appearances for Santos since returning from knee surgery in February.
However, despite making a comeback for his boyhood club, Neymar has spent time on the sidelines due to muscle injuries and niggles.
Brazil’s leading goal scorer with 79 goals, two more than all-time icon Pele, has publicly expressed his desire to make a return for the Selecao. The decision is now down to head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who will lead Brazil at the World Cup and remain in charge of the team until 2030.
Ancelotti has repeatedly said Neymar will need to prove his fitness to be considered for national team selection.
“When you have to choose, you have to consider many things,” Ancelotti told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday.
“Neymar is an important player for this country because of the talent he has always shown. But he has had problems and is working hard to recover. He has improved a lot recently and is playing regularly. It is obviously not such an easy decision for me. We have to weigh up the pros and cons carefully.”
Teammates have lobbied for Neymar’s inclusion, while supporters remain split between affection and anxiety over whether his body can still keep pace with his imagination.
“I know full well that Neymar is much loved, not only by the public but also by the players,” Ancelotti said.
“This is also a factor, because we have to consider the atmosphere that will surround Neymar’s call-up.”
Neymar said on Sunday he had to endure “nonsense” criticism as he worked his way back from serious injuries and is satisfied he has done all he can to prove he is fully fit and deserves a place in the squad.
“Physically, I feel great. I’ve been improving with every game,” Neymar said after the controversy-hit game for Santos.
“I’ve done my absolute best – it wasn’t easy. I’ll admit it wasn’t easy.
“It’s been years of hard work, and also of a lot of nonsense being said about my condition and what I was doing. It’s really sad the way people talk about it.
“I worked hard, quietly, at home, suffering because of what people were saying, and it all worked out.
“I’ve made it to where I wanted to be in one piece. I’m happy with my performance, with everything I’ve done so far … Whatever happens, Ancelotti will certainly call up the 26 best players for this battle.”
Even if he is fully fit, Neymar will also need to fit into Ancelotti’s plans for his World Cup squad.
Ancelotti says he wants four forwards who can run, press, and track back, a demanding template for a player who has struggled to string together a sustained run of matches.
The Italian, however, said Neymar had shown signs of progress.
“He has improved his fitness a lot in recent matches,” Ancelotti said.
“He has played some very good matches lately. His fitness has improved. He can maintain a high intensity in a match. But there are matches and matches.”
Ancelotti said the decision to select Neymar would be his alone.
“I haven’t been pressured by anyone to call up Neymar. I have complete autonomy,” he said. “The decision will be 100% professional. I will only take into account how he is performing as a footballer. Nothing else.”
“Can I draw up a perfect squad? Impossible! But I can draw up a squad with fewer mistakes than others who might do so. Of that I am certain.”
Ancelotti is expected to name his preliminary squad on Monday. He can list up to 55 players, but the final squad, to be confirmed by June 1, will be trimmed down to 26.
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