Neymar still risks missing the World Cup.

Neymar brought joy to many Brazilians when he was called up to the national team for the World Cup.

Carlo Ancelotti finally gave Neymar a ticket to the 2026 World Cup after months of closely monitoring the Santos star's fitness. However, this decision still comes with considerable concerns.

Since the beginning of 2025, Neymar has been constantly struggling with muscle and fitness issues. He underwent knee surgery last December and has subsequently missed several Santos matches, including important ones, to manage his training time.

Even Ancelotti publicly sent an ultimatum to Neymar back in March. At that time, the Italian strategist asserted that the 34-year-old striker would only be allowed to return to the Brazilian national team if he was in perfect physical condition.

To salvage his chances of participating in the World Cup, Neymar had to follow a personalized recovery program at the Rei Pele training center and his home in Santos.

Between April and May, he scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists in 10 matches, and showed clear signs of improvement in medical tests conducted by Santos and the CBF.

However, injury concerns haven't completely disappeared. According to current plans, Neymar is unlikely to play any more for Santos before joining the Brazilian national team at Granja Comary on May 25th.

The coaching staff wants to avoid any risk of the striker suffering a recurrence of the injury he sustained in March 2025. This move is logical given Neymar's recent physical condition.

Neymar has proven to be overly susceptible to injuries in recent years.

However, in the long run, Neymar cannot afford to train half-heartedly compared to his younger teammates. Coach Ancelotti made it clear that no one gets special treatment, so giving his all in preparation for a competitive tournament like the World Cup is unavoidable. Therefore, risks are always present.

It's worth noting that FIFA still allows teams to make personnel changes in case a player experiences health problems before the opening match of the World Cup. Like other teams, Brazil submitted a preliminary list of up to 55 players to FIFA before May 11th.

If Neymar unfortunately suffers an injury during training, Ancelotti could easily replace him with another player from this reserve list.

In other words, Neymar has secured his place at the World Cup, but his position is not entirely safe until the ball starts rolling in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Source: https://znews.vn/neymar-van-co-nguy-co-vang-mat-o-world-cup-post1652525.html