Neymar has disputed Carlo Ancelotti’s statement that an injury led to his exclusion from Brazil’s squad for this week’s CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers. Last week, Ancelotti attributed Neymar’s absence to a “minor injury,” noting that he “didn’t need to test” the Santos star and that he “needed to be in a good physical condition” to be selected.
After playing the full 90 minutes in Santos’ 0-0 draw against Fluminense on Sunday, Neymar shared a different account. “It was some swelling I had in my adductor, some discomfort, but it was nothing serious, so much so that I played today,” Neymar said. “I wasn’t going to play against Bahía anyway [on Aug. 24], so they preferred to save me some training sessions, to leave me out so I could recover. I was left out for technical reasons, it has nothing to do with my physical condition, it’s the coach’s opinion and I respect it. Since I’m out, we’ll just have to support the team.”
Brazil sits third in the CONMEBOL standings with 25 points, level with Ecuador and just behind Argentina, with Uruguay and Paraguay one point back. Ancelotti announced a 25-man squad last week, including forwards Estêvão, Gabriel Martinelli, João Pedro, Kaio Jorge, Luiz Henrique, Matheus Cunha, Raphinha, and Richarlison. In Ancelotti’s first two games as coach in June, Brazil drew 0-0 with Ecuador and won 1-0 against Paraguay.
