Vinícius Jr.’s Brazil will face Kylian Mbappé’s France in a friendly ahead of the FIFA World Cup this Thursday, March 26, at Gillette Stadium. However, another aspect has drawn attention: Neymar’s absence.
The Brazilian star was not called up by Carlo Ancelotti because he is not physically “100%” following a muscle strain, but this has raised doubts about his participation in the World Cup. Now, it was Vini himself who came to Ney’s defense.
Vini sends a message to Carletto
The Verdeamarela will face France and Croatia (on March 31 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando) ahead of soccer’s biggest tournament, where the five-time champions are always a potential title contender.
However, the Real Madrid star prefers to take a more low-key approach: “Brazil isn’t the favorite based on the qualifying results. We don’t want to be the favorites; we want to approach this with calm, patience, and focus on what we’re working on… We’re going to do everything we can to win the title,” he said at a press conference ahead of the match against France.
Meanwhile, Vini also addressed the absence of the Santos FC icon and admitted that, although the final decision rests with Carlo Ancelotti, he hopes to see him at the World Cup:
“Neymar is one of my biggest idols. He’s doing everything he can to be 100% and return to the Brazilian national team,” Vini began by clarifying.
“The decision is up to the coach, but we always want to play with the best, and Neymar is among them,” he said.
The truth is that Neymar has missed two of Santos’ last four matches. He was absent against Mirassol due to a muscle strain from overuse, and although he played in the other two matches (against Corinthians and Internacional), he and his coach decided he shouldn’t play against Cruzeiro, so as not to risk an even more serious injury.
True to his style and his word, Carletto had warned not only Neymar but all his players that they would not start if they were not in peak condition, which is why he ruled out the former PSG player.
This extended his absence from the national team a bit longer, as he hasn’t played for the Canarinha since October 17, 2023, when he suffered a knee injury in a South American qualifier against Uruguay.
With only 16 matches left before the World Cup to prove on the field that he is capable of playing his final tournament with the Verdeamarela, Neymar will battle his injury and the clock to ensure his name makes Ancelotti’s final roster.
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 New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. They will then face Haiti on Friday, June 19, at Philadelphia’s Soldier Field, and on Wednesday, June 24, they will take on Scotland at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
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