Will Estevao’s injury open the World Cup door for Neymar?
Neymar during Santos' 1-1 draw against Recoleta in the Copa Sudamericana this month Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images
For Brazil, the final international window before the World Cup was a case of one step back, one and a half steps forward.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were poor against France, losing 2-1 in Massachusetts despite their opponents playing much of the second half with 10 men. The performance against Croatia six days later was both better and not as good as the final 3-1 scoreline would have you believe.
The main positive to be drawn from the friendlies was the clarity they provided over a few individual players. Botafogo midfielder Danilo, formerly of Nottingham Forest, did so well that he is now seen as a shoo-in for Brazil’s World Cup squad. Juventus centre-back Bremer and Zenit Saint Petersburg left-back Douglas Santos also cemented their places.
As the players headed back to their clubs, the consensus in Brazil was that Ancelotti had already decided on 22 of the 26 names for this summer’s final list. Two more — Endrick (Real Madrid, on loan at Lyon) and Igor Thiago (Brentford) — also appeared to be pencilled in.
Three weeks on, fate has thrown Ancelotti a selection curveball: Estevao, the electrifying Chelsea winger, has a serious hamstring injury. If his World Cup dream is not yet officially over, it is hanging by a thread.
Losing Rodrygo to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in March was one thing — he may be an old Ancelotti foot soldier but he had not been playing well — but losing Estevao would be another matter. The 18-year-old has been a shining light for Brazil over the past year, lending the side panache and cutting edge on the right flank. He has scored five times under Ancelotti, more than any other player. His absence would leave a vacuum.
Ancelotti would have to reconfigure his starting XI. Raphinha could move to the right side, possibly with Vinicius Junior left and Joao Pedro ahead of Matheus Cunha. If Ancelotti wants to keep using Vinicius Jr centrally, Gabriel Martinelli could play on the left. He could also leave the rest of the front four untouched and bring in Luiz Henrique, the 25-year-old Zenit winger who has repeatedly impressed for his national team in his 13 caps.
When it comes to a replacement in the squad, one option would be Bournemouth’s Rayan, a like-for-like replacement. Lucas Paqueta and Richarlison, who have dropped down the pecking order in recent months, are also in contention.
Then, of course, there is the elephant in the auditorium.
Yes, welcome back to Neymar: The Referendum, the psychodrama that just won’t quit, showing in multiplexes near you until Ancelotti names his squad on May 18 or the universe as we know it implodes, whichever comes first.
When you last joined us, Neymar had just completed his first full season back at Santos, his boyhood club. It had been a mixed bag: 17 matches missed through injury and a couple of rides in the Bratmobile, but also a series of match-winning displays as Santos clawed their way out of a relegation battle at the last.
He ended the year heading off for knee surgery and started this one with one objective in mind. “I want to chase the dreams that haven’t yet come true,” he said after renewing his Santos contract in January.
Neymar was not talking about the Sao Paulo state championship — just as well, since he was missing for most of it, sitting out the first 10 games of the 2026 season and only making his first appearance in mid-February. Since then, the only consistent thing has been his inconsistency.
There were two goals in the win against Vasco da Gama, the second a heart-stopping, left-footed lob. He played well against Atletico Mineiro this month. In other matches, he has been tetchy and, frankly, miles off the pace.
“There are no more thrilling dribbles, none of those little bursts that made it seem like the rest of the world was filmed in slow motion,” wrote GloboEsporte’s Douglas Ceconello after Santos lost 2-1 against Internacional in March. “Time has caught up with him, as it does with everyone.”
Running in parallel has been the usual drumbeat of controversies: a heated argument with fans after the 1-1 draw with Recoleta, running arguments with referees and a much-discussed fingers-in-ears gesture after Santos fans booed their own players following the 3-2 home defeat against Fluminense last week. Neymar’s angry reaction to the social-media storm over that last incident — “I can’t even scratch my f***ing ears now?” — did little to move the narrative on.
As a body of work, it doesn’t constitute much of an argument for his inclusion in Brazil’s World Cup squad, even if Estevao is ruled out. And yet, somehow, the debate rages on.
Fans chanted his name as Brazil struggled to create chances against Croatia in Orlando. Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, revealed that he had spoken about Neymar in a brief meeting with Ancelotti. Then came the results of two surveys conducted at the start of April. In one, 47 per cent of respondents said they wanted Neymar back in the national team. In another, that contingent rose to 53 per cent.
People are not blind. They know Neymar is not the athlete he once was. His last Brazil cap came in 2023, and even then, he was physically on the down slope. Star power, though? The ability to conjure something from nothing? That unmistakable devil magic, possessed by only the lucky few? Many in Brazil, including a good number of the players, still want all of that in their corner.
“Neymar is, without question, our best player technically,” Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus told The Athletic last month. “He is the type of player who can win you a game in one minute.”
Others, admittedly, are more divided. “We know what he is capable of, but he needs a series of games,” former Brazil captain Cafu said last week.
Zico, Brazil’s star player at the 1982 World Cup and a virtual passenger four years later due to a nagging injury, feels the same. “There aren’t many people who love Neymar as much as I do, but he hasn’t found that consistency,” he said in an interview with SporTV. “It’s up to the coach to decide whether Neymar can help the national team at 70 per cent or 50 per cent.”
Ancelotti has been crystal clear. Neymar, as he appears to be growing tired of repeating, will be considered for selection if and when he is fully fit — and not before. “He’s on the right path,” the Italian told newspaper L’Equipe at the start of April. “(But) it’s very clear: I will select players who are physically ready.”
Neymar played 90 minutes for Santos against Coritiba on Wednesday night. It was his fourth game in 11 days — he completed all of them. Given where he has come from, this is no small thing, even though it has already been confirmed that he will be rested against Bahia at the weekend.
After that, he will play a maximum of six club matches before Ancelotti names his World Cup squad. It is not much of a runway. Had Estevao not pulled up against Manchester United, you would be tempted to write him off, to accept that the portal to the Neymarverse was closing for good after all these tear-stained years.
As it is, the door remains ajar. Only Neymar himself can push it open.
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