RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Neymar has been left out of Brazil’s friendly match in the United States this month. The 34-year-old former captain has struggled to stay fit since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in October 2023.
Brazil will play France in Boston on March 26, followed by Croatia in Orlando four days later.
“This is a team that takes into account players who are 100% healthy,” Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday. “Players such as Eder Militão, Bruno Guimarães, Estevan and Rodrigo were seriously injured.”
neymar didn’t play well On Sunday, Santos drew 1-1 with Corinthians in the Brazilian league.
Hours later, Neymar told the media at an event in Sao Paulo that he was “upset and sad” to have not been included in Brazil’s squad for two friendlies.
“But my concentration remains the same. Every day, training after training, match after match. We will definitely achieve our goals. We still have the final squad left,” Neymar said.
The World Cup squad will be announced on May 18th. The team’s last warm-up will be on May 31st against Panama in Rio de Janeiro.
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Brazil:
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool), Bent (Al Nasr), Ederson (Fenerbahce)
Defenders: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Danilo (Flamengo), Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Douglas Santos (Zenit St. Petersburg), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Ibanez (Al Ahly), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Wesley (Roma)
Midfielders: Andrei Santos (Chelsea), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al Ittihad), Gabriel Sala (Galatasaray)
Forwards: Endrik (Lyon), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luis Enrique (Zenit St. Petersburg), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Rafinha (Barcelona), Ryan (Bournemouth), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
