Neymar and the “Jack-In-The-Box”

Now as the call-up for the 2026 World Cup approaches, Neymar will once again be a complicating factor for the Brazilian National Team, as he has been throughout his career since 2010, when many people — including Pelé and Romário — already wanted him to be selected and Dunga said “no.”

The international press is convinced that Neymar will be called up. In the Brazilian media, predictions are divided.

What is undeniable is that, whether present or absent, Neymar will be the center of attention this Monday, when the 26 players selected by Carlo Ancelotti to represent Brazil in the United States are announced.

One cannot say that, at 34 years of age, Neymar is too old for the World Cup. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both older than him, will be there. Neymar’s issues are different: his physical fitness has not been good for some time, and his psychological state — this is nothing new — has been analyzed and scrutinized by newspapers around the world, almost always with negative opinions.

I remember the 2017 Barcelona vs. PSG match, the famous “La Remontada,” when Neymar produced three miracles with only two minutes left: he scored from a free kick, scored another goal from a penalty kick and delivered the assist for Sergi Roberto’s goal which, in stoppage time, secured the victory Barcelona needed to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals

I recall that, at the end of the match, Messi raised his arms and was celebrated by the fans, while Neymar, the true hero, went almost unnoticed.

That is why, some time later, when Neymar transferred to PSG, I thought: “Now he will step out of Messi’s shadow and achieve greatness.”

Exactly the opposite happened. Faced with the responsibility of leading a team, Neymar sank.

So I am asking: Is Neymar really necessary to lead Brazil now in this World Cup, which will certainly be — if he is indeed in the roster — the last of his career?

An old Brazilian radio sports commentator, Benjamin Wright, always resorted to the cliché: “Football is a Jack-In-The-Box.”

That seems to be the role reserved for Neymar tomorrow, May 18, 2026, in Brazil’s squad announcement for the 2026 World Cup