Carlo Ancelotti’s approach during Brazil’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign centered around the concept of balance.
The coach of Brazil aimed to maximize the talent available by fielding a well-rounded team. This strategy took a disastrous turn midway through the second half against Norway, when he made a perplexing choice to substitute in the aging Neymar.
Brazil had played in a practical, albeit less spectacular manner, allowing Norway significant control of possession.
Despite this, the team was well-structured and poised for counterattacks. The introduction of Neymar, whose body had been ravaged by injuries and who was clearly past his prime, disrupted the entire framework. Ancelotti had always intended for Neymar to occupy a central position, but his diminished agility forced him into a role that pushed Vinícius Júnior and Endrick wide, leaving the team vulnerable. This shift allowed Norway to capitalize and deliver quality passes to Erling Haaland, who swiftly made his mark as they secured a 2-1 victory.
As has often been the case in Brazilian football history, individual brilliance proved to be the decisive factor. However, this time the standout talent belonged to the opposing team, while Brazil’s generational star appeared to be a mere shell of his former self.
How did it come to this? How did a highly regarded, clear-thinking coach make such a critical miscalculation?
Some may attribute this mistake to external pressures, leading to various conspiracy theories. However, in the absence of solid evidence, it’s fair to respect Ancelotti’s agency in making his own footballing choices.
There were certainly justifications for including Neymar in the World Cup squad. The current Brazilian team was built for speed rather than finesse, a fact Ancelotti acknowledged by lamenting the lack of a suitable replacement for the injured Lucas Paquetá.
Neymar’s vision for playmaking and set-piece execution were still intact, and given the 26-player limit, there was room for a surprising selection, especially since his teammates admired him.
A segment of the Brazilian population opposed Neymar’s inclusion, yet many others passionately supported it.
A significant faction, including numerous notable former players, advocated for his selection. This kind of fanfare carries substantial weight; leaving him off the squad could have led to a chorus of discontent among fans during matches, using Neymar’s absence as a litmus test for the team’s performance. Better, perhaps, to include him.
However, those captivated by Neymar’s star power overlooked the reality. He had faced a lengthy recovery from a serious knee injury in October 2023. At the start of the year, his club, Al Hilal, did not register him for the domestic league, citing his lack of fitness per their coach Jorge Jesus. After a year and a half back at Santos, that assessment sadly rang true.
Anyone observing the 15 matches he played for Santos this year could see the decline. Once skilled at maneuvering with agility, he now appeared stiff and slow, easily dispossessed.
Before the World Cup squad was announced, Ancelotti insisted on two principles: Neymar would only merit a call-up if his performance warranted it, and no injured players would be included. Regrettably, he contravened both points.
2:03
Burley: Ancelotti will get ‘hammered’ by Brazil fans
When the squad was announced on May 18th, Ancelotti seemed hesitant about excluding Chelsea‘s João Pedro, declaring he deserved a spot. But did Neymar? It was a significant gamble, yet Ancelotti held out hope.
There was an expectation that Neymar could regain his fitness before the tournament, but that hope was dashed when he sustained a muscular injury just a day prior while playing for Santos. The club claimed he was fit, but it soon became clear to the national team that he needed at least three weeks to recover. The opportunity for a re-evaluation should have occurred then.
The effects of Neymar’s inactivity became glaringly obvious when he played the last 20 minutes of the group stage match against Scotland. On a sweltering Miami night, against fatigued defenders and a team seeking a goal, Neymar appeared tragically out of sync, resembling a retired player participating in a charity match.
At this juncture, one could still convince themselves that Ancelotti was orchestrating a masterstroke, appeasing the public by recalling Neymar and providing him an outing against Scotland. Yet, his future appearances remained uncertain.
Perhaps the vision was to bring Neymar on during a leading game or in extra time, hoping he might convert a crucial set piece or influence a penalty shootout.
The announcement of Brazil’s squad had the flair of a showbiz spectacle, with Ancelotti exuding the confidence of a ringmaster managing the circus.
Ultimately, however, he succumbed to the allure of celebrity culture. Ancelotti’s once-savvy substitutions have now become an albatross, leading to Brazil’s premature exit and signaling the end of the Neymar era. Neymar walks away as Brazil’s all-time leading goal scorer—a monumental accomplishment. While critics may say that a significant portion of his international goals came in friendlies and that his success was limited to minor tournaments, this perspective is somewhat unfair.
Neymar’s World Cup journey has indeed been marred by misfortune, plagued by injuries and challenges in recovery. Yet, this time, luck played a minor role in his selection. If injuries represent one reason that his illustrious career didn’t entirely meet expectations, another factor is his emotional maturity.
This was evident in the latter stages of the game against Norway, where he nearly received a red card for a reckless kick and seemed more engaged in confrontations than focused on rescuing his team.
The time taken for his late penalty attempt, combined with his antics aimed at distracting the Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, was deeply disheartening. His emotional instability mirrored the team’s tactical deficiencies from the moment Ancelotti made the ill-fated decision to bring him on.