Neymar is "glad to be back" with the Brazil national team after Dorival Jr. called him up following his electrifying Santos return.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Neymar returns for the Selecao after 18 monthsShared his excitement on social mediaGradually regaining his mojo with SantosFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Neymar has not played for the Selecao since suffering a serious knee injury against Uruguay in October 2023. Since returning to Santos in January, the 33-year-old has been in impressive form, scoring three goals and providing three assists in seven appearances.
AdvertisementHOW DID NEYMAR REACT
After learning of his call-up, Neymar took to Instagram to share his excitement, posting a photo of himself watching the squad announcement on television. The caption read: "Happy to be back!", highlighting his eagerness to wear the iconic yellow jersey once again.
@neymarjr InstagramWHAT DID DORIVAL JR. SAY
Speaking about Neymar’s return, Brazil’s head coach Dorival Júnior expressed his faith in the forward’s ability to make a significant impact in the upcoming qualifiers.
"There's no need to talk about what Neymar represents," the manager told reporters. "He is currently recovering his form, we understand and are aware of this. But we believe his abilities and qualities allow him to be in a condition to overcome any situation on the field. He is a player whose [Brazil] team-mates themselves publicly expressed what he represents to the group.
"We were waiting for him to return, this is the first opportunity that we could have him [since recovering from injury]. I hope he is very happy when he returns. Let's give him the confidence to develop to the best of his ability, let's not create high expectations, let's not place all the responsibility on his return."
DID YOU KNOW?
Brazil are currently experiencing a challenging World Cup qualifying campaign, sitting fifth in the South American standings after 12 matches. The Selecao are seven points behind leaders Argentina, having won just five games.
