Written by Han Bing On March 6th last year, the Brazilian Football Confederation announced Neymar's return to the Seleção after 17 months. At that time, Neymar seemed to see his last chance to prove himself with the World Cup trophy. However, just 9 days later, he was forced to withdraw due to injury. This "last dance king" of Samba football still could not escape the curse of injuries. One year later, now, Brazil's new coach Carlo Ancelotti, ahead of the World Cup during the crucial March international window, has opted to leave out Neymar, who is battling injuries. The question of whether Brazil or even world football still needs Neymar has sparked a global debate.

During Brazil's 1-2 friendly loss to France at Gillette Stadium in the USA, chants calling for Neymar echoed throughout. Ancelotti has been in charge for half a year, and the seven forwards he assessed have failed to score, while a healthy Neymar remains Brazil's best offensive creator. Ancelotti's concerns are more pragmatic: the frequently injured Neymar might not only waste a World Cup squad spot but could also severely damage team morale. He needs players with stable physical and mental conditions to compete for trophies; such pragmatism is understandable.

However, the questioning by Brazil's "Globo Esporte" is more profound: Neymar is the last superstar of Brazil's "Beautiful Game (Jogo Bonito)", the "last dance king" of Samba football over the past 20 years. His symbolic significance for Brazilian football, the World Cup, and world football is unparalleled. His presence at the World Cup itself is proof that the traditional Samba football still exists: dazzling skills, imaginative passes and shots, unpredictable dribbles and breakthroughs... Over the past 20 years, Brazilian players have increasingly been "Europeanized", becoming raw materials on a star "assembly line". Neymar's existence defends the last pride of Samba football.

Neymar's absence, to some extent, marks the end of Brazil's "Beautiful Game". The vibrant life of Brazilian football lies in its华丽炫技, the uncertainty brought by随时迸发的灵感. Neymar is the last Brazilian superstar who can fully展现美丽足球魅力. Perhaps the obsession of many fans or media is simply to witness what might be the "last dance" of the "Beautiful Game" at the World Cup.

Neymar in "Big Data" is hardly needed

Whether Brazil needs Neymar, this national topic reminds people of Romário 24 years ago. His level is无需争论, but the current debate over Neymar's selection holds greater significance for modern Brazilian football than Romário's situation back then. Neymar is, after Pelé, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho, the last superstar被认为能充分展示桑巴足球魅力. His inclusion or exclusion involves more the debate over the survival of "Samba" football itself.

Since taking over as Brazil's coach last summer, Ancelotti has been asked about Neymar at every press conference. In this year leading to the World Cup, Neymar's return to Santos has been a national topic in Brazil. On the World Cup issue, the topic of whether Brazil needs Neymar has split the Brazilian public into two camps. Frequent injuries and不够稳定的情绪 are the main reasons cited by opponents.

Since returning to Santos at the end of January last year, he has suffered 6 injuries in 13 months, including knee arthroscopy surgery late last year. During this period, Santos played 66 matches; Neymar missed 27 due to injury, playing 2511 minutes with an attendance rate of only 42%. In 2026, Santos played 17 matches; Neymar appeared only 5 times, with an attendance rate as low as 26.4%. Although in those 5 games he contributed 3 goals and 2 assists against豪门 like Vasco da Gama, Corinthians, and Internacional, no one can guarantee that his hamstring injury, which复发三次 last year, won't reappear.

Last year, although he helped Santos avoid relegation, several情绪失控 incidents raised doubts about his ability to shoulder leadership responsibilities. Former Brazil coaches Luxemburgo, Léo, and Ancelotti all believe the current Neymar cannot help Brazil. Léo甚至断言: "We no longer need him; he doesn't solve problems." Neymar's last appearance for Brazil was in October 2023; since then, 28 players have debuted for the Seleção. The桑巴军团 has基本完成新老交替. From the perspective of modern football data and injury history alone, Neymar's era似乎应该落幕.

Neymar as a "Totem" must be needed

Although on the "big data" metrics that measure普通球员, Neymar hasn't provided reasons convincing Ancelotti to select him. But as a "totem" of Samba football, Neymar无需大数据证明自己. For many Brazilian legends, Neymar's "need"不需要理由. Ronaldo, Romário, and Zico have publicly expressed support for Neymar. "The Phenomenon" emphasized: "He is a key player; we don't have a second player like him who always surprises you." Neymar has always been the与众不同的 "that one". In the past 15 years, no player has持续为巴西队做出决定性贡献 like him, matching his creativity—especially the魅力 of a超级巨星.

Ancelotti mentioned that only a 100% healthy Neymar can return to Brazil. But回顾巴西队史的巨星们, Pelé, Garrincha, and Ronaldo all participated in World Cups带伤或大伤初愈. They只需要在关键时刻的一次天才灵感闪现, perhaps就可以决定胜负和奖杯归属. Rodrygo, who已重伤无缘世界杯,更直言 Neymar参加世界杯 is an无需思考的必然逻辑 for Brazil. He emphasized that although modern football tactics are so高度 "industrialized", Neymar仍然可以为巴西队带来超乎想象的创造力.

After Brazil's 1-2 loss to France, Casemiro直言自己是内马尔的球迷: "Among our generation of players, he ranks third only behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. A healthy Neymar is the best player in the world; his ability is indispensable for Brazil." Even English legend Ferdinand呼吁,让内马尔参加世界杯, and believes this is巴西队夺冠的唯一希望. "Globo Esporte"认为内马尔代表着桑巴足球风格最后的尊严. Brazilian fans渴望大力神杯, but do not want to see 11 "European players" wearing Brazilian shirts, playing European-style,本质上在于破坏的高位压迫足球, winning through set-pieces in缺乏观赏性的比赛.

Neymar's significance for Brazil extends beyond football itself. A recent IBOPE Repucom survey shows: Neymar's知名度 and受欢迎程度指数 in Brazil exceed 98%,仅次于贝利 and著名电视主持人 Silvio Santos. He is the top偶像 for Brazil's younger generation; 82% of巴西社媒平台用户关注了内马尔, and 60%表现出浓厚兴趣 in his career and lifestyle. Taking Neymar to the World Cup相当于带上了整个巴西的希望. Isn't that enough?