It’s official: Brazil recover Neymar to face Messi

Dorival announces squad for World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina

It was an open secret – after having been included in the preliminary list – but now it is official: Neymar is back… with Brazil.

The Santos striker has been included in the list of 23 players that Dorival Junior has announced for the World Cup qualifiers against James Rodriguez’s Colombia and Lionel Messi’s Argentina

It will be, if he plays, his first match with the ‘Seleçao’ sincehe was injured against Uruguay (2-0) – he broke his cruciate ligament – on October 18, 2023

“Nobody needs to talk about what Neymar represents”

The Brazilian’s all-time top scorer (124 caps, 77 goals) is shining – he has three goals and three assists in nine games – on his return to Santos

“Nobody needs to talk about what Neymar represents. The moment he is living is a recovery process. We have that understanding, that awareness, but we also understand that the ability and quality of a player like this ends up being a conditioning factor so that he can overcome any situation that may arise during a match,” says Dorival.

“He’s a player that everyone knows and knows well. I hope he is very happy with his return and that we can give him the security he needs to give his best. We are not going to create great expectations or put a lot of responsibility on this return,” said the Brazilian coach.

We are not going to create great expectations or put much responsibility on this return

Dorival Junior

Neymar will be well escorted. He is joined by three LaLiga players: Raphinha (Barcelona), Rodrygo and Vinicius (Real Madrid)

In contrast, several illustrious names are missing from the preliminary list. Most notably, Atletico Madrid’s Samuel Lino, Real Betis’ Antony and Real Madrid’s Endrick. Lucas Moura, Paqueta and Oscar will also not be present.

Brazil’s full squad:

Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al-Nassr) and Ederson (Manchester City).

Defenders: Danilo (Flamengo), Guilherme Arana (Atletico Mineiro), Wesley (Flamengo), Vanderson (Monaco), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Marquinhos (PSG), Leo Ortiz (Flamengo) and Murillo (Nottingham Forest).

Midfielders: Andre (Wolverhampton), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo) and Joelinton (Newcastle).

Forwards: Neymar (Santos), Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton), Estevao (Palmeiras), Joao Pedro (Brighton), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Savinho (Manchester City) and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid).