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Neymar will not travel to Cleveland with Brazil’s World Cup squad for their exhibition match against Egypt on Saturday, according to the country’s soccer federation.
The Brazilian Football Confederation said Thursday that the 34-year-old striker would remain in New Jersey to undergo treatment.
Last week, the team doctor said Neymar was expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks with a calf injury. Brazil’s opening game at the World Cup is June 13 against Morocco in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and it was not clear if Neymar would be ready to play in it.
(Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Selecting Neymar for the 26-man squad was considered a risk due to his health. He is Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79, but has struggled since returning from tearing the ACL in his left knee in October 2023 in a World Cup qualifier.
“He can still improve his fitness until the first game of the World Cup,” coach Carlos Ancelotti said last month. “He has experience in this kind of competition, the love for our group, he can create a better environment in this group.”
Neymar has played eight games for Santos FC this year and has four goals and two assists.
FIFA rules allow an injured player to be substituted up to one day before a team’s first match of the tournament. If he plays, this would be Neymar’s fourth World Cup.
Brazil named 32-year-old defender Marquinhos captain earlier this week.
“You think of all the legendary captains who have worn this armband before, so I feel very honored and very happy,” Marquinhos said in Portuguese on Wednesday. “Being a captain is not just about wearing the armband and playing football. It is much more than that. It starts with the person and with what you can contribute to the group, to your teammates and to the team as a whole.”
Report from the Associated Press.
