The national team’s coaching staff will not make predictions about Neymar’s return. The images are always beautiful, after the horror of seeing her swollen ankle on national television. Neymar walking, Neymar swimming, Neymar in the gym…
Nobody knows when he returns.
The initial idea that he will return in the round of 16 is neither discarded nor confirmed. It seems more likely to play the quarterfinals, if Brazil gets there. The first week in Turin and Doha was exciting. Rivals were losing players, Benzema returned to France, Timo Werner could not be called up, Reece-James and Chilwell did not come with England, Lo Celso was cut from Argentina.
For the fourth consecutive Cup, the cut was not part of the news.
Until the World Cup in Germany, you could bet that someone would fall. Rogério (1970), Clodoaldo (1974), Careca (1982), Toninho Cerezo (1986), Ricardo Gomes (1994), Romário (1998), Emerson (2002), Edmílson (2006).
Neylor Lasmar, father of the current national team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar, says that Careca felt his thigh the week before his debut in Spain. He examined and pronounced: muscle strain. There was no magnetic resonance and the president of the CBF, Giulite Coutinho, thought it was exaggerated. “I’m the doctor,” replied Neylor.
Neylor could not sleep that night, tense over the possibility that his assessment was not 100% correct. At 7 am the next morning, the phone in her room rings. It was Bald: “Doctor, run here. My thigh is all black.” And Neylor: “Thank God!”
The diagnosis was right.
Neymar was not and will not be cut. He suffers from the ankle, which also plagues Messi and Mbappé, but does not remove them from combat.
Neymar’s situation begins to resemble Zico’s, in 1986, and Romário’s, in 1990. The affliction of trying to find out if Galinho could play in the second or third round, if he would be a starter in the quarterfinals, everything mattered more than assessing Brazil’s poor performance.
He improved when Zico entered against Northern Ireland, he was promising against Poland, in the round of 16, and he played well against France, in the elimination match.
Maybe Tite avoids talking about the subject and the doctors don’t make predictions precisely so as not to repeat past mistakes. It’s the Brazilian team at the World Cup, not Neymar.
At 7-1, the group asked Neymar for strength and showed fragility. Now it’s time to find out who can strengthen the team. Even so, there is an unavoidable question for Tite: can Brazil win the Cup without Neymar? Power can.
There are stronger teams than Brazil. The good performance of the debut, without the brightness of the number 10, contrasts with the irregular performance against Switzerland. You have to measure the strength of the opponent. The next two weeks could see the Swiss and Serbs stronger than the Poles, beaten mercilessly by the Argentines.
Spain is a candidate for the trophy. France too, even with the locker room problems, speculated once again with Mbappé taking the ball from Griezmann to take a free kick, against Tunisia. Argentina has Messi, leader of talented youngsters – Enzo Fernández, Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez.
Against Cameroon, it is necessary to measure Brazil’s performance.
Neymar is the first player to wear the number 10 shirt for three World Cups, after Pelé’s four. Zico wore it in two, because Rivelino was in his third World Cup, in 1978, for the second time with the sacred mantle.
Neymar’s third World Cup doesn’t have to look like Zico’s last.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
