Brazilian legend Ronaldo has urged national team coach Carlo Ancelotti to bring Neymar back into the squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, calling the forward a "decisive player" for the Selecao.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, has not featured for the national team since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. The 33-year-old has since returned to boyhood club Santos after an injury-plagued and brief stint at Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
Despite playing regularly since his return to Brazil in January, Neymar has been left out of Ancelotti’s squad for all four of his matches in charge so far.
“We don’t have another player like Neymar,” said Ronaldo at a publicity event in São Paulo. “The people hope 100 percent that he will go to the World Cup because if he is there, we will definitely have better results than if he's not there.”
Ronaldo, a two-time World Cup winner and scorer of 62 goals in 99 appearances for Brazil, emphasized Neymar’s importance to the team’s chances.
Neymar has struggled with injuries in recent years and missed Brazil's 2019 Copa America title-winning campaign. His move to Al Hilal from PSG in August 2023 was marred by a ruptured cruciate ligament that sidelined him for almost a year. He played just five games for the Saudi club before returning to Santos.
Ancelotti, who left Neymar out of the World Cup qualifiers in September, said at the time that Neymar “needs to get in better shape to help the national team and to give the best of himself at the World Cup.”
