'Samba army' Brazil national soccer team's ace's jersey number '10' is set to return to Neymar (34, Santos).
Carlo Ancelotti, who leads the Brazil national team, included Neymar when he announced the final 26-man roster for the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) CONCACAF World Cup on the 19th (Korean time).
Accordingly, Neymar, who ranks first in Brazil's all-time A match scoring (79 goals), will appear at his fourth World Cup after 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar.
Neymar has not been able to show consistent form due to several injuries. In addition, questions were raised about his performance at his club Santos, and he was overlooked by coach Ancelotti. But with his recent form returning, he regained the opportunity to board the national team.
Neymar rejoined the national team nearly three years after the knee injury he suffered during the 2023 October World Cup South American qualifiers against Uruguay. Brazil, with Neymar on board, has been drawn into Group C in this CONCACAF tournament to play the group stage against Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
With Neymar's return, the jersey number issue emerged. The No. 10 that symbolized Neymar had been worn by Vinícius Júnior (26, Real Madrid). Some predicted that Vinícius would keep No. 10 and Neymar would wear No. 13.
But Vinícius told Brazil's 'KazeTV' in an interview, "I don't yet know which number I will wear. But No. 10 will of course return to Neymar," adding, "That is very clear," clearly stating he would give the No. 10 jersey back to Neymar.
Neymar said of the news that he was included on the World Cup roster, "This was something I never expected. I could never have imagined everyone's reaction, I really could not even imagine it. I couldn't believe it," and added, "I watched all the videos until 6 a.m. and couldn't stop crying all night."
He added, "It wasn't easy. It was never easy. It was painful and brutal, but in the end it was worth it. It was worth feeling this love and emotion, the feeling of being Brazilian, and being able to fight representing each and every one of you."
He also said, "I thank everyone in Brazil who showed encouragement, support and an amazing reaction," and emphasized, "This is a day I will cherish for the rest of my life."
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