Picture this.
Neymar. 34 years old. Three years away from the Seleção.
A calf injury picked up in May playing for Santos.
A World Cup squad spot that half of Brazil said he didn't deserve.
And yet — here he is. Available. Fit. Waiting.
But will Carlo Ancelotti actually start him?
The Italian isn't telling. 🤐
"Neymar is available," Ancelotti told reporters in Miami.
Then came the smile. Then the joke.
👉 "He can play 90 minutes — walking."
Classic Carlo. Says everything. Confirms nothing.
Here's the twist nobody saw coming.
The Neymar of headlines, of nightclubs, of drama…
has apparently become a dressing-room dad.
Ancelotti's words:
"He has worked very seriously. Even if he doesn't play, he brings experience, he brings knowledge of the game, he helps the younger players."
Let that land.
The boy wonder of 2013 is now the mentor of 2026.
Steve Clarke's side arrive in Miami with one win, one loss, and a very real shot at the knockouts.
McTominay. McGinn. Organised. Physical. Annoying in all the right ways.
Ancelotti knows it:
"Easy games in the World Cup finished a long time ago."
🔥 That line wasn't a soundbite. It was a warning.
The team's plane from New Jersey to Miami got delayed.
Press conference pushed to 9pm.
Ancelotti's response? A shrug and a smile.
"In football, anything can happen. It will be a very beautiful experience — even if I had to do a press conference at nine o'clock at night."
Brazil don't need Neymar to beat Scotland.
But the World Cup needs the moment.
The walk to the touchline. The roar. The number 10 jogging on.
Three years in the wilderness. One calf injury. One enigmatic Italian coach holding the cards.
Miami is about to find out if the fairytale gets its first chapter.
Or if Carlo keeps him in his pocket for the knockouts.
That's all for now!
