There are a whole lot of globally recognized soccer stars from Brazil. In the last decade, Neymar is undoubtedly the biggest of them. While his best playing days are behind him, the attacker could still pop up to deliver a goal when his country needs him most...but only if he's fit to play.
There's doubt about Neymar's availability because of a calf injury he suffered while playing for Santos on May 17. He missed the final club games in the lead up to the World Cup and hasn't been training with the Brazilian camp. What was initially diagnosed as a two-to-three week recovery has now extended close to a month.
So will he be playing on Saturday when Brazil take on Morocco?
Neymar injury update: Calf injury to keep star out for Brazil vs. Morocco
As expected, Neymar was not in the announced matchday squad for Brazil against Morocco.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti reassured fans that Neymar will not be removed from the World Cup squad and he expects him to be available at some point during the World Cup. It's a waiting game to see when that will be.
It's worth remembering that Neymar isn't the main man in this Brazil squad even if he is healthy. When the 34-year-old does get healthy enough to be involved, he's more likely to come off the bench than start. Still, when you have a talent like Neymar, being able to unleash him off the bench can be plenty impactful.
After spending four seasons with Barcelona and six with Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar left European soccer to spend a year with Al-Hilal in the Saudi league, though he only appeared in three matches. In 2025, he came back home to Brazil to feature for Santos. Now he's hoping to play in what is likely his final World Cup.
He has found a way to impact the national team in 2026, scoring two goals and assisting three more in World Cup qualifying.
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