Neymar (33, Santos)'s dream of returning to the national team has been dashed.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced on the 15th (Korea time) that "Neymar has been excluded from the roster for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup South American qualifiers due to injury." Brazil will play a home match against Colombia on the 21st and an away match against Argentina on the 26th.

Neymar injured his knee during a match against Uruguay in October last year and underwent reconstruction surgery on his Chonbang ligament. After preparing to return to the national team after 17 months, he missed another opportunity due to a muscle injury in his left thigh during a recent match with his club. Immediately after the injury, he sparked controversy by posting a photo on social media of himself watching the samba parade in Rio de Janeiro with his partner.

Neymar has bet everything on the goal of participating in the World Cup. In August 2023, he transferred to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, receiving an annual salary of €150 million (approximately 226.3 billion won), but he gave up 99% of his salary to return to his former team, Santos, last month. He recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 matches in the Brazilian first division, boosting his match sense. The Brazilian Football Confederation also acknowledged his determination by including him in the national team roster announced on the 6th. However, he fell victim to an injury right before the call-up.

Brazil national team coach Dorival Júnior has selected Endrick (18, Real Madrid) as a replacement to fill Neymar's absence. Endrick has played in 28 official matches for Real Madrid this season, scoring 6 goals. In the Brazilian national team, he has played in 13 matches and scored 3 goals.

In addition to Neymar, there have been changes to the national team roster. Goalkeeper Ederson (30, Manchester City) and defender Danilo (32, Juventus) have also been excluded due to injuries. Coach Júnior has selected Lucas Paquetá (26, Olympique Lyon) and Alex Sandro (33, Flamengo) as their replacements.

Neymar has scored 79 goals in 128 A-matches for the Brazilian national team, making him the all-time top scorer. However, frequent injuries have prevented him from performing consistently at the national level.

[OSEN]