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Neymar will not travel to Cleveland with Brazil’s World Cup team for its warm-up match against Egypt on Saturday, according to the country’s soccer association.
The Brazilian Football Confederation said Thursday that the 34-year-old forward would remain in New Jersey for treatment.
Last week, the team doctor said Neymar was expected to be out for two or three weeks due to a calf injury. Brazil’s opening World Cup match is June 13 against Morocco in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and it was unclear whether Neymar would be ready to play.
(Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Choosing Neymar for the 26-player squad was considered a risk for his health. He is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79, but has struggled since returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in October 2023 in a World Cup qualifier.
“He can still improve his fitness until the first match of the World Cup,” coach Carlos Ancelotti said last month. “He has experience in this type of competition, the love for our group, he can create a better atmosphere 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 replaced up to one day before a team’s first match in the tournament. If he plays, this would be Neymar’s fourth World Cup.
Brazil earlier this week named 32-year-old defender Marquinhos captain.
“You think of all the legendary captains who have worn this bracelet before, so I feel very honored and very happy,” Marquinhos said in Portuguese on Wednesday. “Being captain is not just about wearing the armband and playing football. It’s much more than that. It starts with the person and what you can contribute to the group, to your teammates and to the team as a whole.”
Information from The Associated Press.
