Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer Neymar has said he wants to play at the 2026 World Cup despite more than 13 months out of international action through injury.
The 32-year-old broke Pele’s record by scoring the 78th of his 79 international goals during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in September 2023, but tore his ACL against Uruguay the following month.
“The World Cup is the goal of all players,” Neymar said RMC. “I’ve already played three times (in the finals) and I want to do a fourth.
I have to be focused on that, prepare well here (at the Al Hilal team) and have that medium-term goal after I’m back in shape at my club.”
Rodigo assists Neymar to break Pele’s all-time record for Brazil 🥺🇧🇷
History of Santos 🤍 pic.twitter.com/dRWHMhONvE
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 9, 2023
Neymar returns from injury
In the short term, Neymar’s comeback plans were scuppered by an injury sustained in a brief second appearance after returning to the Saudi Pro League side.
Neymar was introduced as a second-half substitute in Al-Hilal’s 3-0 win over Iranian rivals Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League Elite last month, having lasted less than 30 minutes before coming on.
Although Neymar described the injury as “hopefully nothing too much”, he is yet to add to his seven games for the club who paid a reported fee of more than £71million to sign him from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023.
“Unfortunately, it’s not a simple injury,” Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said at the time. “He seems to be suffering from muscle pain and it’s not a knee problem.”
🔹 Neymar is undergoing scans pic.twitter.com/Gt7T4GxvKh
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) November 6, 2024
Neymar Al Hilal contract
There has been speculation in Saudi Arabia that Al-Hilal will not re-sign Neymar for the second half of the top-flight season.
He was not named in their squad for the first half of the campaign due to his injury, but has been cleared to play in international competitions.
Brazil: Is Neymar coming back?
Brazil are not short of attacking options, with Real Madrid trio Vinicius Junior, Rodrigo and Edric and Barcelona’s Rafinha all called upon.
After missing two games at the 2022 World Cup with an ankle injury, Neymar scored two goals and provided one assist but was part of a team that was knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
The result ensured he never played beyond the last eight of the competition, having been ever-present and contributing two goals and two assists before Brazil were beaten at that stage by Belgium in 2018.
In his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar finished with four goals and one assist in five games, but missed Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final defeat by Germany and the third-placed 3-0 loss to the Netherlands through injury .
