"We want the best players to be there and Neymar, no matter his form, will always be one of them." That's Lionel Messi, speaking this week, throwing unconditional support behind a man who hasn't played for Brazil since October 2023.
The loyalty is genuine. The logic is shakier.
Messi was at least honest about where he's coming from. "I can't be objective. Neymar is a friend," he admitted on Lo del Pollo. "Obviously, I'd love for him to be at the World Cup, for good things to happen to him because he deserves it for the kind of person he is." That's a character reference, not a scouting report.
Two years of injuries and a long road back
Neymar is 34 now. He's been locked in an injury cycle that has kept him off the pitch for the best part of two years and out of Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil squads since the Italian took charge. He returned to Santos earlier this year after a difficult spell at Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, where consistent football proved elusive. Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 international goals, he's become more of a symbol than a selection consideration.
That gap between reputation and availability is exactly the problem Ancelotti has to solve. Brazil are building toward a home World Cup in 2026 — the pressure to perform will be enormous, and a 35-year-old coming off two lost years isn't a straightforward pick, no matter how special the talent.
Messi's endorsement carries weight in football circles, but Ancelotti doesn't pick Brazil's squad based on sentiment from Argentina's captain. If Neymar plays regularly for Santos, stays fit, and forces his way back into form, the conversation changes. If he doesn't, Messi's words — however warm — won't move the needle in the selection room.
What this means beyond the friendship
There's a broader betting angle here worth watching. Brazil's World Cup odds and their attacking depth projections all hinge partly on whether Neymar is a real option or a nostalgic footnote. A fit, match-sharp Neymar genuinely reshapes the picture. A half-fit one picked on legacy could be a liability in knockout football.
Messi described him as someone with "a very special charisma" who "lives his life as it is, without worrying about the repercussions." Beautiful qualities in a friend. In a player trying to earn a World Cup squad place at 34 after years of injuries, the repercussions are kind of the whole story.
