Casemiro urges Carlo Ancelotti to build Brazil's 2026 World Cup team around Neymar

Neymar has not yet played for the national team since 2023.

As the Selecao get ready for the 2026 World Cup, Casemiro has backed Neymar as Brazil’s most important player. His fitness problems have prevented him so far from playing for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, raising concerns about whether he will compete in the tournament the following year.

The Manchester United midfielder contended that Ancelotti should change tactically to allow the Santos forward more freedom. Citing Argentina’s strategy around Lionel Messi during their 2022 championship run.

Due to Ancelotti’s insistence that the 33-year-old still needs to demonstrate his physical readiness following a protracted and difficult recuperation time, the former Barcelona star has once again been left out of Brazil’s roster.

Before the upcoming World Cup, the Santos star has been advocating for a comeback to the national squad, but his circumstances are still unclear.

Since sustaining a ruptured knee ligament against Uruguay in October 2023, which kept him out of action for over a year, the 33-year-old has not played for the Selecao.

His ongoing fitness problems kept him from making a full comeback. He has been on the sidelines ever since, despite a temporary return to Brazil’s squad in early 2025.

Neymar is currently in a race against time to persuade both club and nation that his body can endure the rigours of elite football, despite being one of Brazil’s all-time greatest goal scorers.

United star Casemiro feels Neymar can still be the decisive player for the national team

The former Real Madrid midfielder urges Ancelotti to follow Argentina‘s method from the 2022 World Cup and call up the former PSG star ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Asked if it is worth stretching the team tactically to suit Neymar would be wise, Casemiro replied:

“Absolutely. Argentina did that with Messi. I’ll say it again: with their three best players in the world [Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar], you can put Neymar in and do that.

“It’s not that Neymar will just stand still while we run. That doesn’t exist. But Argentina did that. Julián Alvarez would drop back, and Messi would play as a false nine. They were defending in a low block, and Messi was just standing there up front.”

Casemiro is still certain that the Santos forward can make a difference once more. He ranked him higher than a number of the biggest stars he has ever shared a locker room with and urged Ancelotti to build the team around the 33-year-old.

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