Former Brazil goalkeeper Wagner Fernando Velloso has blasted Carlo Ancelotti in his final 2026 World Cup squad. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
Describing the decision as absurd, Wagner expressed his disbelief that Neymar was selected over Chelsea’s Joao Pedro, noting that the Santos forward is always selective with his fitness.
The ex-international, however, added that the former PSG winger must have been included because the Brazil team lacks leadership.
His words, “I would not call up Neymar for the World Cup. To take Neymar and not take Pedro is an absurdity of those that football allows. Pedro is the top scorer of everything, Neymar cannot even play against Recoleta and he is in the Cup.
Neymar chose the matches. He didn’t play against Palmeiras, Flamengo, Bahia, but he played against Recoleta, Red Bull Bragantino… Only against the weak teams, to try to make a difference. And he didn’t do it.
Faced with a national team without identity, without charisma and without a leader, I think Neymar’s call-up brought hope for the fans. It’s not that I think Neymar is going to make that difference in the Cup. His call-up was good for that, because we have a national team of weak players. There is no leader in the national team. It’s not that Neymar is either, but at least he’s a technical leader, he already was.”
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.
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