Neymar’s World Cup return was already one of Brazil’s biggest talking points before a ball was kicked. His call-up was his first under Carlo Ancelotti, and it quickly became a divisive subject back home.
The debate only grew once he joined the Brazil squad and was diagnosed with a calf injury. Neymar then missed the opener against Morocco, leaving fans waiting to see whether he could return against Haiti.
That hope has now taken another hit, as Neymar will not play on Friday, meaning the argument around his condition will only get louder.
Fabrizio Romano shares Neymar injury update before Haiti clash
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano wrote on X: “Official: Neymar Jr. to miss Brazil game against Haiti, out of Ancelotti’s squad. No risks taken as Ney Jr. returned to full team training only 24 hours ago, building his best condition.”
The former PSG superstar has not played for over a month. His last match came for Santos on May 17th, so Brazil are still managing his route back to full sharpness.
The expectation now is that he could get limited minutes against Scotland, depending on how the game develops. That gives Ancelotti a narrow window before the knockout stage.
Neymar’s fitness issues prompt fans’ reaction
Fans on X did not hold back when reading the news about the 2014/15 Champions League winner. One reacted saying: “He took the space of another player just for him to watch from the bench and have 0 contributions? What a disgrace.”
Another one wrote: “He’s the official Brazil cheerleader/water boy at this point.”
A third fan posted a gif of Will Smith sad in an empty room and captioned it: “When Neymar is finally ready to play in the World Cup, but the tournament ended,” while a fourth added: “I once said bringing him to the World Cup is a mistake and not something Ancelotti should be proud of.”
Neymar’s latest absence has fuelled the view of those who did not want him called up.
A World Cup is too short for long fitness experiments. Brazil could play a maximum of eight matches, and the No. 10 has already missed two of them before reaching full condition.
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