On Monday, Carlo Ancelotti revealed that Neymar will not play in Brazil’s friendly matches against France and Croatia on March 26 and 31, sparking a wide range of reactions-not only from fans and the player himself, but also from Brazilian legends.
The legendary Brazilian fullback Cafú had no doubt about the potential and contribution the Santos FC forward can make, even placing him above Lionel Messi.
Cafú praises Ney and wants him at the World Cup
When discussing players and World Cup champions from the Verdeamarelha, the name Marcos Evangelista de Moraes -better known as Cafú– cannot be left out. The Brazilian legend won two FIFA World Cups with the Canarinha (United States 1994 and Korea-Japan 2002), and is the only player in history to have played in three consecutive World Cup finals (1994, 1998, and 2002).
As an authority on the subject, he gave an interview to Podpah on Wednesday and spoke about Neymar’s current form, comparing him to Argentine star: “In my view, Neymar is greater than Messi,” he said confidently (vía OneFootball).
Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from playing as much as the Santos idol would have liked in recent years.
Ney hasn’t played for the Brazilian national team since October 17, 2023, after suffering a serious knee injury in a South American qualifier against Uruguay. This year, he has played only five matches after recovering from another surgery on his left knee late last year, and although he played the full 90 minutes in the match against Corinthians (1-1), he had just missed the match on Tuesday, March 10, between Mirassol and Santos for the fifth round of the Brasileirao (2-2) due to a muscle strain caused by excessive fatigue in training.
For this reason, and following the news of Neymar’s latest absence from the Verdeamarela, doubts about his participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup began to grow. However, Cafú was clear and remained cautious regarding Carletto’s decision for these friendlies: “He [Neymar] needs to play, he needs to train. Ancelotti is a very honest guy; he doesn’t mince words,” he assessed.
However, when asked if Brazil should count on Neymar’s presence at the tournament in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the World Cup champion stated: “If he’s doing well, he fits into any national team in the world. That’s a fact. There’s no debate about Neymar when he’s at his best,” he said.
In addition, Cafú highlighted the immense responsibility and burden the 34-year-old forward has had to carry for over a decade playing for the Canarinha: “For 15 years, Neymar didn’t have anyone at his level to share the responsibility,” he pointed out.
In this edition, Brazil will be in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. They will make their debut against Morocco on Saturday, June 13, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. They will then face Haiti on Friday, June 19, at Soldier Field in Philadelphia, and on Wednesday, June 24, they will take on Scotland at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Meanwhile, only time will tell if Neymar will wear Brazil’s colors in the tournament.
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