Neymar Revives World Cup Dream, Sends Message to Ancelotti

Neymar delivered a dazzling performance to directly secure three points for Santos against Vasco da Gama, thereby keeping alive his hope of participating in the 2026 World Cup with the Brazilian National Team.

Neymar ended his goal drought in 2026 in a highly impressive fashion, scoring a brace to help Santos defeat Vasco da Gama 2-1 in the 4th round of the Brazilian National Championship.

After the match, the forward who has played for Barcelona and PSG directly responded to the criticism and the surrounding pressure regarding his potential return to the Brazilian squad for the 2026 World Cup.

“Last week they were saying I was the worst player in the world. Today I scored two goals, and that's what truly matters,” Neymar shared with SporTV. “That's football for you. Today you're criticized as being past your prime, tomorrow people say you should go to the World Cup.”

Neymar stated that he is working hard every day to regain his best physical condition. “I am focused and working very seriously. This is only my third match this year and just the second time I've played the full 90 minutes. I had cramps at the end, but that's part of the recovery process,” the forward added.

The 33-year-old superstar underwent surgery earlier in 2026 and has only recently returned to play for Santos. Brazil's head coach Carlo Ancelotti has repeatedly stated that Neymar will be considered for a World Cup call-up if he reaches good physical condition.

After opening the scoring in the 25th minute, Neymar ran to the corner flag and performed a celebration dance previously used by Vinicius in both legs of Real Madrid's Champions League playoff against Benfica.

Vasco da Gama equalized before halftime, but in the second half, Neymar completed his brace to secure the victory for Santos.

The festive atmosphere in the stands was briefly interrupted following a tense clash between Neymar and Vasco midfielder Thiago Mendes. The feud between the two dates back to 2020, when a tackle by Mendes caused Neymar a serious injury during a PSG match against Lyon.

Neymar did not hesitate to bring up the incident after the match: “He always wants to provoke and act tough. He injured me before at PSG, and today he threatened me again. It's always the same story.”

The brace against Vasco also marked Neymar's first goals since December 2025, when he closed out the old year by scoring twice in a match against Juventude.