Neymar has been left out of Brazil's squad for the final two World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia after suffering a minor leg muscle injury last week. He has not played for Brazil since October 2023 following a serious knee ligament injury. Coach Carlo Ancelotti did not rule out a future return but urged the 33-year-old to improve his physical condition to re-enter the squad. Vinicius Junior and Eder Militao were rested, while Rodrygo and Endrick were omitted on merit. Brazil have already qualified for next year's World Cup and will face Chile on September 4 and Bolivia on September 9.
Neymar has been left out of Carlo Ancelotti's latest squad for their final two World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia next week. Neymar, who missed out on a spot in Ancelotti's first selection through injury, will miss out again after sustaining a minor leg muscle injury sustained last week. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has not played for his nation since October 2023, when he suffered a serious knee ligament injury.
Ancelotti has not ruled out a return to the national side for Neymar, but the Brazil boss has urged the 33-year-old to improve his fitness to work his way back into his plans. "Neymar, like everyone else, needs to get into good physical condition to be able to help the team do well and try to do their best in the World Cup," Ancelotti said. "These two games are the last games of the qualifiers, and we need to finish this phase well."
Neymar was not the only big name to be omitted from Ancelotti's ranks, with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior also not named in the 23-man squad. It is believed Vinicius has been rested to manage his workload following his exploits at the Club World Cup and the resumption of the LaLiga season. Brazil have already qualified for next year's World Cup.
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