Neymar’s Reintegration Will Improve Brazil – Roberto Carlos

Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has said that he believes the Selecao are ready to turn a corner at the 2026 World Cup. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

Stressing the need to reintegrate Neymar into the starting XI, Carlos revealed that Brazil will definitely improve once the country’s talisman returns from the sidelines.

The legendary defender added that a spot in the 2026 World Cup final is well within reach for the five-time champions.

His words, “We haven’t managed to play our best football yet, but, little by little, as we always say in world championships, improving. With the return of Neymar, we don’t know how he will play, but I think Brazil will improve a lot with Neymar.

Vinicius is at the peak of his form. The coach is now keeping an eye on Matheus Cunha, Endrick… The defense is solid with Marquinhos and Gabriel. In short, little by little we are building the best Brazilian team to go as far as possible.

With this team, if we continue to improve, we can reach the final. Or at least, after so many years, play a final again, which would be important for our country.

Let’s forget the past for a moment. Focusing on the present, you are the current world champions. Brazil needs to improve to beat Argentina, the current world champion. I think Argentina is ahead, first of all, because they have a coach who has been with them for a long time. It has Messi, who is a reference for the world of football, for our era of football.”

WOW.

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar Júnior or mononymously as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and playmaker, he is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and the best Brazilian player of his generation. Neymar has scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs, making him one of the few players to achieve this feat.

Neymar came into prominence at Santos, where he made his professional debut aged 17. Soon becoming the Brazilian’s league star player, he won the 2011 Copa Libertadores, being Santos’ first since 1963. He was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012, and relocated to Europe to join Barcelona in 2013.

In his second season, as part of Barcelona’s attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, dubbed MSN, he won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Motivated to be the focal player at club level, Neymar unexpectedly transferred to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2017 for €222 million, which made him the most expensive player ever. In his debut season, he excelled in French football, winning the league title and being voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year.

Despite recurring injuries in Paris, he helped PSG attain an historic domestic quadruple in the 2019–20 season, during which the club also reached its first ever Champions League final, with Neymar being named in the UEFA Team of the Year for the second time in his career.