When Carlo Ancelotti called up his Brazil squad for the trip to South Korea and Japan , Neymar was not even mentioned at the news conference. This would have been unthinkable a few weeks before. There were always questions about Neymar and his possible role at previous call-ups. So why not this time?

The answer is that his comeback -- so far at least -- is not going to plan. It was on Oct. 12, 2023 that he had a serious left knee injury playing for Brazil against Uruguay in the early rounds of World Cup qualification . The subsequent two years have brought no evidence that the 33-year-old is still capable of tipping the balance at the highest level.

Immediate expectations were almost certainly too high. He was greeted as a savior at the start of the year when he moved back to

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