Neymar was excluded from Brazil’s squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina due to injury.
Since his transfer to Santos, Neymar has appeared to be in good shape and gradually regained his form, before missing the recent match against Corinthians due to injury.
It was reported that Neymar’s absence from the match was requested by the Brazilian national team to ensure he was ready for the international break, but the reality proved otherwise.
The 32-year-old never fully recovered from his injury, and coach Dorival Junior ultimately decided not to risk him and excluded him from the Seleção camp.
In place of Neymar, Real Madrid’s young striker Endrick was included in the squad.
Neymar commented on his exclusion from Brazil’s squad by saying, “Everyone knows how much I want to return, but we reached an agreement with the national team’s technical staff not to risk me.”
He continued, “We aim to prepare me better to fully recover from the injury. I wanted to wear the heaviest shirt in the world, but what happened is part of the process.”
