A undisputed star of the Brazilian selection, Neymar does not appear in the group chosen by Carlo Ancelotti to face Chile and Bolivia as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Present on the enlarged list of Brazil, the former Barcelona was finally dismissed by the former Madrid coach. When the list of convened players was announced, Carlo Ancelotti justified this choice by the physical condition of the “Ney”.
Unconvinced by this answer, Neymar did not hesitate to publicly question the version of Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the meeting which opposed FC Santos to Fluminense:
“I had edema to the adductor. It was embarrassing, but nothing serious, I even played today (August 31). Against Bahia (0-2, August 24), I was not going to play (suspension). They therefore preferred to preserve me from training so that I could recover. ”
Before adding: “I think I was dismissed (selection) For technical reasons, I think it has nothing to do with my physical condition. But I respect this decision. »»
Carlo Ancelotti responds to Neymar
Faced with the scope of Neymar's remarks, Carlo Ancelotti made a point of reacting at the Brazil-Chili pre-match press conference. “” Neymar's comments is normal. I think it's the truth. This is a technical decision based on many factors: what the player does, what he has done in the past but also the problem he has encountered. When I talk about physical criteria, it is something that all the technical staff considers very important “Said the Italian technician.
“” I have already said that no one can question Neymar's technical qualities. What we evaluate day after day, match after match is his physical condition, and not just his but that of all the players here present and all those we follow. The truth is that this Brazil team is very competitive, really very competitive, too much. We believe that the Brazilian national team has around 70 players who could participate in the World Cup “, He added.
Neymar therefore finds himself in a delicate situation. In difficulty at FC Santos since his arrival last January, the player must continue to fight in order to convince Carlo Ancelotti to give him his chance when approaching the 2026 World Cup.
