'Neymar will be key player,' says Ancelotti after including him in Brazil's World Cup squad

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Neymar, who has been named in Brazil's squad for next month's World Cup, will be "a key player", said manager Carlo Ancelotti on Monday (May 18), after calling him up to return to international soccer's biggest stage. The 34-year-old, Brazil's all-time leading scorer, comes back following a prolonged absence due to a series of injuries that kept him out for much of the qualifying campaign, as the five-time champions pursue a record-extending sixth title. "We evaluated Neymar throughout the year and saw that in the final stretch he played consistently and improved his physical condition. We believe he is an important player and will be a key player in this World Cup," said Ancelotti at a press conference in Rio. With this call-up, Neymar will be competing in his fourth World Cup, in search of his first title. In his debut, in 2014 in Brazil, he performed well until he suffered a serious injury against Colombia, which ruled him out of the semifinal match against Germany, in which the Brazilian national team was crushed 7-1 at the Mineirao. In 2018, Neymar’s campaign with the Brazilian national team in Russia ended in the quarterfinals against Belgium. At that World Cup, he was criticized for reactions deemed exaggerated after being fouled by opponents. In 2022, he missed two group stage matches after suffering an ankle contusion in the opener, but he recovered for the knockout stage and scored the goal in extra time against Croatia that could have secured the team a spot in the semifinals. But Brazil ended up conceding a goal late in the game and was eliminated in a penalty shootout. In total, Neymar has played 13 matches for Brazil in the World Cup, with 8 goals and 4 assists. Although he was the team’s star player in the three tournaments he participated in, he is not returning as a starter this time, but rather as a key player capable of deciding a match. Brazil is in Group C of the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. They will make their debu