Ancelotti: Neymar’s World Cup Depends On Him

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that whether or not Neymar makes his final World Cup squad is now down to the player.

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Carlo Ancelotti selected a 55-man preliminary squad that featured several high-profile names such as Vinicius Junior, Casemiro, Alisson, and Raphinha.

41-year-old defensive stalwart Thiago Silva also made a return to the national team setup after helping Porto to their Portuguese league title.

The biggest name on the list was Neymar. The 34-year-old has not featured for his country since he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in October 2023.

With Brazil's attack in rude health, led by the likes of Vinicius, Raphinha, and Joao Pedro, Ancelotti has been fortunate not to have to rely on the Santos forward as much as some of his predecessors.

In an interview with The Guardian, the former Real Madrid boss explained that the ex-Barcelona man needs to prove himself to be selected for the final squad.

"Neymar’s call-up depends only on him,” he said. "It depends on what the player shows on the pitch. That’s a very clear criterion, and that is not only for Neymar. With most players, you need to assess talent and physical condition. With Neymar, we only need to assess his physical condition because his talent is beyond question. It depends on him, not on me," the Italian added.

Neymar's fitness issues since his knee injury have remained the biggest stumbling block to his recall, but there is still a strong majority of Selecao fans who want to see Brazil's record scorer in the squad.

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The Guardian reported that a survey by the Datafolha institute showed that 53% of Brazilians want Neymar at the World Cup, while 34% were against it and 13% remained undecided.