Neymar's World Cup Dream Amidst Injury Comeback

Neymar walks through the mixed zone in Santos colours but wrapped in Brazil’s. A vivid green and yellow jacket, bold even by his standards, instantly lights up camera flashes after a 3-0 defeat to Coritiba in the Brazilian Serie A.

To many, it looks like a message. A not-so-subtle reminder to the national team on the eve of a squad announcement.

Neymar shrugs that idea off.

“This jacket was a gift from a friend of mine, who is Beckham’s son, Romeo Beckham,” he tells reporters, tugging at the fabric. “He even wrote something about the Olympics here. I told him I was going to wear it. That's why, it wasn’t to send any kind of message.”

The jacket might be innocent. The timing is not.

“Everyone is waiting for this, waiting for tomorrow’s call-up. Why not use it?” he continues. “Besides being a player, I want to be there. If I’m not there, I’ll just be another person cheering for Brazil in the World Cup.”

World Cup dream drives the comeback

Strip away the fashion and the noise, and one truth remains: Neymar is still chasing the World Cup.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has spent months clawing his way back from serious injury, his career repeatedly interrupted just when Brazil needed him most. At 34, he knows how little margin is left.

“Obviously, it’s my dream, I’ve always made that very clear to you. It’s to be at the World Cup. I worked for that,” he says.

For more than a decade, he has carried the hopes of a football-obsessed country, surpassing Pelé to become Brazil’s all-time top scorer. Every time a squad list looms, the same question crackles through radios, TV panels and social media feeds: is Neymar in?

This time, the stakes feel heavier. The 2026 World Cup may be his last.

Fitness, scrutiny and quiet suffering

The road back has been brutal. Not just physically, but publicly.

The Santos forward has heard every doubt about his body, every accusation about his commitment. Each scan, each setback, each training clip has been picked apart.

“Physically, I feel very well. I've been improving with every game, I did the best I could. I confess it wasn't easy,” he says, sounding more tired of the narrative than the rehab.

Then he goes deeper.

“There were years of hard work, but also a lot of misinformation about my conditions and what I did. It's very sad the way people talk about it. I worked hard, quietly, at home, suffering because of what people said.”

He paints a picture of a player rebuilding in silence while the outside world writes its own version of his story. Inside, he insists, the work never stopped.

With Carlo Ancelotti expected to lean heavily on players at peak fitness, Neymar knows he is being judged as much on his legs as on his legacy. Every sprint, every duel, every minute matters now.

A bad day, a bizarre mistake

On the pitch, Sunday offered little comfort.

Santos were dismantled 3-0 by Coritiba, a flat, dispiriting performance that did nothing to help their star man’s mood. To make matters worse, a bizarre administrative error saw Neymar substituted by mistake, yanked out of the game when he had no intention of leaving it.

Personal ambition collided with professional chaos. He cut a frustrated figure as he left the field, helpless as Santos slid to defeat.

Still, he clings to the belief that his individual level, not his club’s struggles, will be what Ancelotti weighs when he finalises his list.

He knows he cannot control everything. Not the paperwork. Not the public debate. Not even the selection.

What he can control is the work and the message he sends with it.

“May tomorrow be whatever God wills,” Neymar concludes. “Regardless of what happens, Ancelotti will call up the 26 best players for this battle.”

The jacket may have been a gift from Romeo Beckham. The real plea, the real statement, lies elsewhere: in a 34-year-old superstar betting that, after everything, his name still belongs among Brazil’s very best.