Brazilian football legend Ronaldo has urged national team coach Carlo Ancelotti to bring Neymar back into the Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Ronaldo, one of the greatest players in Brazil’s history and a two-time World Cup winner, said Neymar’s presence could be the decisive factor in Brazil’s campaign.
Neymar, who remains Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, has not played for the Selecao since October 2023, when he suffered a devastating cruciate knee ligament injury while on international duty against Uruguay. Now 33, Neymar has returned to playing regularly for Santos, the club where his career began, after a short and disappointing stint with Saudi side Al Hilal.
Despite his recovery and consistent appearances for Santos this year, Neymar has not been included in any of Ancelotti’s four squads since the Italian took charge of Brazil. Ronaldo believes this is a mistake.
“He is a decisive player for the Brazilian Selecao. We don’t have another player like Neymar,” Ronaldo said during a publicity event in São Paulo, speaking alongside compatriots. “The people hope 100 percent that he will go to the World Cup because if he is there, we will definitely have better results than if he’s not there.”
Ronaldo himself scored 62 goals in 99 appearances for Brazil, winning the World Cup in 1994 and again in 2002, when his eight goals, including two in the final, secured his place in football history. His endorsement of Neymar’s return carries significant weight among fans and within the footballing community.
Neymar’s career in recent years has been blighted by injuries, causing him to miss Brazil’s Copa America triumph in 2019. After joining Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023, he played only five matches and scored one goal before his knee injury sidelined him for nearly a year. Although he returned, he featured just twice more for the Saudi side before moving back to Santos in January 2025.
Ancelotti, when questioned about Neymar’s omission from the September World Cup qualifiers, said the forward needed to regain full match sharpness before being recalled. “He needs to get in better shape to help the national team and to give the best of himself at the World Cup,” the coach stated.
With the World Cup less than a year away, the debate over Neymar’s role is intensifying. For Ronaldo and many Brazilian supporters, leaving Neymar out would mean going into the tournament without the country’s most gifted attacking player of the generation.
