Injury in the calf
©IMAGO
Brazil’s record goalscorer Neymar is at risk of missing the start of the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico due to a calf injury. “The expectation is that he will be cleared again in two to three weeks,” said Brazilian Football Association CBF doctor Rodrigo Lasmar after examining the attacker in the training camp. The 34-year-old has been waiting for an international match for the Seleção since October 2023.
According to the CBF, magnetic resonance imaging revealed a second-degree muscle injury in the calf and not just swelling. In doing so, the association contradicted FC Santos’ original diagnosis. His team doctor Rodrigo Zogaib had explained before Neymar’s arrival to the national team that it was just an edema and that the offensive player could start training regularly. He had missed Santos’ last three games but was still nominated for the tournament by Carlo Ancelotti.
Neymar will miss Brazil’s final two friendly matches before the World Cup. The Seleção face Panama at Maracana Stadium on Sunday and Egypt in Cleveland on June 7. In the best case scenario, Neymar could only be ready for action two days before Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco (June 14). The injury is causing additional unrest in Brazil because national coach Ancelotti recently called Neymar back into the World Cup squad after a long break. In March, the Italian decided not to nominate the offensive player due to fitness doubts. When announcing the final squad, Ancelotti highlighted Neymar as an important factor for the team.
Neymar’s last international match to date was almost three years ago. In October 2023, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. Since then, the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain professional has repeatedly struggled with injuries and missed over 100 games. At the beginning of 2025 he returned from the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal SFC to his hometown club FC Santos, where he has been in good form since the beginning of the year and was involved in ten goals in 15 games. With 128 international matches, Neymar is the most experienced professional in the Brazilian squad. The five-time world champion has been waiting for a title since 2002.
