Neymar Makes Long-Awaited Return to Selecao, Appears in Fourth World Cup

The Brazilian legend took the pitch after nearly three years away from international competition.

Neymar made his long-awaited return on Wednesday. | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images

In case you didn’t hear the thunderous cheers all the way from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Neymar Jr made his long-awaited return to the Brazilian national team.

The Brazilian legend substituted onto the pitch in the 76th minute in Wednesday’s 3–0 win against Scotland, appearing in canary yellow for the first time in nearly three years and a historic fourth World Cup. Neymar, who surpassed Pelé in 2023 as the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer (79), had not participated in international play since October of that year.

The 34-year-old had been plagued with injury for much of his absence, most recently sustaining a calf injury that kept him sidelined for the first two group stage matches this summer. A knee injury last December that left him questionable for the World Cup entirely. He is back to full health, though, and already impressing manager Carlo Ancelotti.

“He is available, he trained very well this week,” Ancelotti confirmed on the eve of the game. “He is fit and able and ready to play. We are very happy he is back. He is a high-quality player. “He can play from half time or the whole 90 minutes. He is very well, he worked very hard, so he is ready.

“His attitude is very good, he’s in good spirits, he’s a good player, a good teammate. He’s very serious and we want to get him back to playing as soon as possible. I’m very happy. He brings experience, knowledge—he is doing very well.”

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How Did Neymar Perform?

Vinicius Jr (left) has taken over for Neymar (left) as Brazil’s talisman. | Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

Neymar substituted onto the pitch for striker Matheus Cunha. He brought fresh energy to the stadium, creating three chances across his 14 minutes on the pitch and even taking one shot on target. He completed 12 of his 13 passes for a whopping 92% accuracy.

He became just the fourth Brazilian in history to appear in a record four World Cups, following in the cleats of Pelé, Cafu and Djalma Santos. He is also the only Brazilian in history to wear the iconic No. 10 jersey at four World Cups, bestowed the jersey number by the team’s new talisman Vinícius Júnior at the start of the tournament.

Neymar may not prove to be the game-changer he once was, but it became abundantly clear on Wednesday that he still brings an unparalleled spirit—and thus, hope—to the players, fans and community. After the match, he was seen teary-eyed, waving to the fans and blowing kisses.

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