Two Neymar flashes in a bid to win over Ancelotti

Neymar keeps sending messages

With Neymar heavily involved in both goals, Santos beat Remo 2-0 in the ninth round of the Brazilian league. Subtlety is clearly not part of the plan anymore. The 34-year-old forward provided the assist for the opener and played a major role in the second, as he tries to convince Carlo Ancelotti that he is fit enough to be called up for the 2026 World Cup.

Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, delivered a precise pass through several defenders for Thaciano to open the scoring in the 39th minute.

Then, in the 36th minute of the second half, the former Barcelona and PSG forward led another attack, beat his markers and left the ball in perfect shape for Argentine left-back Gonzalo Escobar, who set up Moisés for Santos’ second goal.

The downside: a suspension

The bad news for Neymar was the yellow card he picked up with five minutes left after arguing with an opponent. That booking will rule him out of the match against Flamengo. A productive evening, then, followed by the usual administrative reminder that football can still be annoyingly literal.

Neymar also made clear after the match that he was furious with the referee:

"It's always the same story. It's unfair. I suffered a tackle from behind, a dirty one, unnecessary, at the end of the match. It was not the first one. It was the third or fourth. I just went to complain to him. He is the kind of referee who wants to be the star of the match and shows enormous disrespect to all the players."

The World Cup clock is ticking

The suspension leaves Neymar with 12 matches available to play before 18 May, when Ancelotti will announce the 26-man Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup.

So far, the Santos star has not been selected once by the Italian coach. He has not worn the Brazil shirt since October 2023, when he suffered an injury in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay.

Since taking over Brazil in May 2025, Ancelotti has repeated the same message: he will only call up players who are at 100 percent physically. Neymar, he has said, is not there yet.