In the history of the World Cup, perhaps so much has never been written about a player who did not jump into the match. After tonight, that doesn’t apply anymore.
Neymar returned to the pitch after a serious calf injury. He came on as a substitute in Brazil’s 3-0 win over Scotland, which saw his side top Group C with seven points.
“I thank God for the strength he gave me. Only my family knows what I went through. Physically and mentally. There were days when I didn’t see this day realistically. I doubted that I would return to the pitch. I even thought about quitting,” admitted an emotional Neymar.
I will help even if only for 10 minutes
The modern stadium in Miami rose from its seats in the 76th minute. Spectators pulled out their mobile phones, wanting to capture this moment.
Matheus Cunha, the scorer of Brazil’s last goal in the match against Scotland, gave way to Neymar. With his traditional gesture – a short prayer directed to the heavens – he asked for help from the highest before his debut at the 2026 World Cup.
“I cried for many days, I’m an emotional person. The initial forecasts of the doctors were wrong with the World Cup. When the referee blew the whistle for the end of the match, it was as if a thousand kilograms fell off my shoulders. All the pain was worth it,” continued Neymar.
The Santos captain didn’t show much, but he didn’t need to. He appeared on the lawn for the first time since May 17. Both cases have a common feature. Neymar left the pitch with tears in his eyes.
“I’m not 100% ready yet, and it showed in my game. The most important thing was that I didn’t feel pain in my calf,” the Brazilian legend said.
Before the championship, it was widely discussed how Neymar would accept the role of a substitute, at least at the beginning of the tournament. According to the information of Brazilian journalists, who are close to the representative cabin, they have agreed on it in advance with Ancelotti. The difficult injury of Neymar also made this debate easier for them.
“I’m here to help Brazil in any way the team and coach need. When it’s ten or fifteen minutes, I’m ready,” added Neymar.
Ibrahimovic: I couldn’t do it
It was these words that pleased the former great striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They missed out on Neymar in Barcelona. The Swede played there from 2009 to 2010, Neymar arrived three years after his departure.
“It’s great to see such a player come back. I felt like the stadium was going to fall when he substituted. He still has it in him. I also liked his words about being ready to accept the role of a substitute. I wouldn’t be able to do it,” Ibrahimovic declared with a traditionally wide smile.
The Marca newspaper reported on the return of “the heart, soul and memory of the Brazilian team. And added an important corollary:
“You must never underestimate a player like Neymar. The numbers never lie.”
The Brazil coach was also asked about Neymar’s return after the match. The dynamics of the relationship between Ancelotti and Neymar is still something of a mystery. It seems to be working for now.
“It’s not about someone getting a space just like that. Neymar won it in training. He deserved to go on the pitch and that’s why he got a chance,” explained Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti put them in check
Neymar caused a stir even before the start of the 2026 World Cup when he arrived at the training camp before the championship in a helicopter. However, Ancelotti registered a significant change in him.
“Jokes aside, he takes it very seriously. We are on a mission and he knows it. With his experience and quality, he can help us significantly,” added Ancelotti.
Before the tournament, the biggest Brazilian newspaper O Globo was worried about one thing in particular…
“Will the experienced Italian succeed in taking Neymar? He is a fantastic footballer at ease. But what if worse days come? He has never been in such a situation with the Selecao as Ancelotti,” the daily from Rio de Janeiro recalled the fact that the Brazilians reached for a foreign coach for the first time.
At the same time, at the previous 22 World Cups in football, the national team led by a coach of another nationality failed to triumph.
“I don’t think about it at all. The statistics are for you journalists. I’m interested in our game,” Ancelotti retorted.
The experienced Italian fox – a Champions League winner as both a player and a coach – seems to have put the Brazilians in check.
“Sometimes I felt they resembled spoiled children. Now you can feel the Italian honesty,” reflected Alexi Lalas, a former American defenseman now known for his controversial statements.
They followed him from the favela
There will probably be something about this. It was also registered by Vinícius, the follower of Neymar in the role of the team’s biggest driver. Only Lionel Messi scored more goals (5) at the World Cup 2026, the Real Madrid winger added one assist to four accurate shots.
“We play very well as a team. We are organized at the back, we really care about it. On the other hand, we have free hands in the offensive direction. I like it and it shows for us.
We have a group behind us, which we won, but now there is no room for mistakes,” Vinícius evaluated the win over Scotland and the entire performance in Group C.
He too was overjoyed at Neymar’s return. It has a special meaning for him.
“You know, when we were young boys from the favela, we used to watch in the street what Neymar was doing to the opponents. Sometimes he could embarrass them as if they weren’t even the best defenders in the world.
Sharing a dressing room with him is a blessing. I’m glad he’s back. I see many positives, our strength will only grow with him,” added Vinícius.
Matheus Cunha added the third goal of the five-time world champions – they last triumphed at the World Cup 2022 in Japan and South Korea.
“We are friends, we understand each other very well. I don’t know how to describe it, but he’s just the type of person I sat down with immediately. we joke together, we even debate difficult topics.
To be so close to one of the best Brazilians of all time is an experience for the rest of my life,” Cunha claimed.
Neymar is the Canaries’ top scorer in history. In 129 matches in the most valuable jersey, he scored 79 goals. He left behind Pelé (77 in 92 meetings), Ronaldo (62/98), Romário (55/70) and Zico (48/71).
“I played in the best clubs in the world. Santos, Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain, however, cannot compare to Brazil. When the whole country is cheering for you and watching what you are going to do with the ball, it is the most beautiful feeling in the world,” declared Neymar.
Take the wounded? Inadmissible!
They showed what it means for the national team in the weeks before the WC 2026. The thirty-four-year-old winger injured his calf the day before the announcement of Brazil’s nomination for the championship in the USA, Canada and Mexico. He has been sidelined since May 27, when he was injured in Santos’ match against Coritiba. Neymar left the field in tears.
He was afraid that he would probably miss the last World Cup. Ancelotti knew about everything. He had a detailed medical report with a marked return box.
“First at the end of the main group or at the beginning of the elimination phase.”
And yet the Italian coach found Neymar, who had not played for a month, a place in Brazil’s 26-man nomination. Something unacceptable has become a reality.
“It was a risk, but when the world title is at stake, it’s worth the gamble,” O Globo realized.
It really was a risk. Ancelotti heard words from some critics that it is a PR move to collect points, that Neymar is behind the zenith, he will hardly help the team anymore, he took the place of someone with more potential… Carlo disagreed.
“Neymar will be with us, period. If we didn’t believe that he would pull himself together and not be able to help him, we wouldn’t be having this discussion today. I’m clear about it, and you make up your own mind,” Ancelotti told the media.
For now, he seems to keep the clever canaries dutifully caged. Will it be golden for the sixth time in history?
