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Amplified by Brazil’s tame defeat to France and the Prince’s showings with boyhood club Santos, Neymar’s addition to Ancelotti’s list has become a matter of national concern.
Neymar. (AP Photo)
To watch Neymar tune into Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti announcing the squad list for the Selecao’s final couple of exhibition games in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup 2026 from the treatment table, hoping for his name to be called out only to be left wanting at the end, broke the heart of a generation that grew up being treated by the Brazilian wunderkind’s ebullient expressionism on the ball.
While Don Carlo’s ‘100 per cent fit’ stipulation might be the final word, cries for the inclusion of the ‘Joia’ in the Canarinho unit bound for North America in the summer grow louder and louder with each passing day.
Amplified by Brazil’s tame defeat to France and the Prince’s showings with boyhood club Santos, to keep them afloat last year out, and to finding more minutes in the ongoing edition of the Brazilian top flight, Neymar’s addition to Don Carlo’s list has become a matter of national concern.
Brazil roped in the most successful manager in European club football with the sole objective of delivering the most successful nation on the international scene their elusive sixth crown.
And Don Carlo does just one manner of operation. His own!
The unfortunate injury to wing wonder Rodrygo might give Neymar an easier in onto the flight to America, but Ancelotti wouldn’t rush to any conclusion as a knee-jerk. (Pun unintended)
The Italian at the helm of the Brazilian unit would be aware of Neymar’s physical limitations as a swathe of injuries have done a number on ‘Menino da Vila’, and his strict ‘no passenger’ policy might push him to a conclusion different from what all of Brazil, nay, all of the world wants him to make.
He would be well within his right to do the unfathomable and leave the nation’s highest ever goalscorer out of the trip to the USA, Canada and Mexico considering the defensive trade offs he’d have to make. That proves as a particular pressure point to a top-heavy Brazil, which does not have world class lineup at the back, particularly down the wings.
Ancelotti might look to add bite in the midfield to make up for what the unit might lack in the full-back region, which might seem like a healthier alternative.
One possible way in which Ancelotti could utilise the genius of New would possibly to play him in a ‘Keys to the kingdom’ classic No. 10, which would turn a lot of dreams into reality. A Brazil built around the prodigal son, shepherded by the astute Italian does have a ring to it. A near utopia. But, reality might be different.
Ancelotti would have to make a decision between the pros and cons of including Neymar, for good or for worse, contemplating the juice he’d be able to extract from the genius, while also calculating the overall impact the ageing Neymar would have on the side’s tactics and on-field approach.
The Prince has one final chance to fulfil destiny, much like his mentor from across Rio Iguazu did four years ago.
However, Ancelotti holds the key, and he isn’t one easy man to persuade.
March 29, 2026, 9:13 PM IST
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