Carletto: “If Neymar and Vinicius are not at 100 percent, I’ll call someone else for WC"

In Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, there are no privileged players and no living off past glory. The main criterion when choosing the players who will travel to the World Cup next summer will be physical readiness. Neymar has long been a topic of discussion — whether the Santos forward and the national team’s all-time top scorer will be a weapon for the upcoming World Cup.

Carletto has his word on Neymar: "No one neglects his talent, but..."

The Italian coach is once again putting the ball in the court of the former football megastar, but judging by the statements he made as a guest on the show Esporte Record on Brazil’s TV Record, it seems there are no protected players in the Selecao… Not even those you wouldn’t imagine could be left off the list.

“He has six months to fight for a place on the final roster, to prove his worth. He has to be 100 percent ready. We have many quality players, and I have to choose those who are at 100 percent. It’s not just about Neymar — it could be Vinicius. If Vinicius is at 90 percent, I will call up another player who is fully ready because this is a team with serious competition, especially among the forwards. We have many quality attackers.”

Neymar’s situation is unique, given that the attacker with 128 caps hasn’t been on Brazil’s squad list since October 2023, when he was injured against Uruguay. Since then, he has missed 26 matches for Brazil, eight of them under Carlo Ancelotti.

Therefore, in Ancelotti’s system, every player must be at peak physical condition to get a seat on the plane to the United States, Canada, or Mexico. The same applies to Vinicius, who won Champions League titles with Carletto at Real Madrid and became a member of the “Club 200,” players the Italian coach has managed in 200 or more matches.