○On Monday, manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed that Neymar would not play in Brazil’s friendlies against France and Croatia on March 26 and 31, sparking a wide range of reactions from fans and the player himself, as well as Brazilian legends.
Legendary Brazilian full-back Cafu had no doubts about the Santos FC forward’s potential and contribution, even considering him better than Lionel Messi.
Cafu praises Ney and wants him to play in the World Cup.
When we talk about Verde Amarella players and World Cup champions, we cannot leave out the name Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, better known as Cafu. The Brazilian legend has won two FIFA World Cups with Canarinha (1994 vs. USA, 2002 vs. Japan/Korea) and is the only player in history to have played in three consecutive World Cup finals (1994, 1998, 2002).
As an authority on the subject, he gave an interview to Podopa on Wednesday and spoke about Neymar’s current form, comparing him to the Argentine star and confidently saying, “Neymar is greater than Messi, in my opinion” (via OneFootball).
Unfortunately, Santos’ idol hasn’t been able to play as much as he would have liked in recent years due to injuries.
Ney has not played for the Brazilian national team since October 17, 2023 after sustaining a serious knee injury in the South American qualifying match against Uruguay. After recovering from revision surgery on his left knee at the end of last year, he has played in just five games this year, and although he played the full 90 minutes in the match against Corinthians (1-1), he just missed the match between Mirasol and Santos (2-2) on Tuesday, March 10th, in Matchday 5 of the Brasileirão due to excessive fatigue during training.
Because of this, and following the news of Neymar’s recent absence from Verde Amarella, doubts about his participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup began to grow. However, Cafu remained clear and cautious about Carlet’s decision in this friendly, saying: “He (Neymar) needs to play, he needs to train. Ancelotti is a very honest person and he doesn’t mince words.”
But when asked if Brazil should expect Neymar’s presence at the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the World Cup champion said: “If he is in good form, he can adapt to any national team in the world. That is a fact. There is no debate about Neymar at his best.”
Cafu also underlined the immense responsibility and burden that the 34-year-old forward has had to bear by playing for Canarinha for more than 10 years, pointing out that “for 15 years, Neymar has not had a player of the same level to share that responsibility.”
For this tournament, Brazil will be placed in Group C along with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. They will make their debut against Morocco on Saturday, June 13th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. They will then face Haiti at Soldier Field in Philadelphia on Friday, June 19th, and Scotland at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Wednesday, June 24th.
Meanwhile, only time will tell whether Neymar will wear Brazil colors at the tournament.
