Neymar could play in the 2030 World Cup: Brazilian coach makes a surprise statement

Experienced coach Rogerio Micale, who won gold medals with the Brazilian Olympic team, has made a sensational statement regarding the country's football star Neymar. In his opinion, the forward should not end his career after the failure at the 2026 World Cup and should participate in the 2030 tournament. Micale placed Neymar's skill on par with legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. This is reported by Goal.com .

It is known that the Brazilian national team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the round of 16 after losing to Norway. At that time, the Scandinavians led by Erling Haaland won, and Neymar announced his retirement from international football in tears after the match. However, Micale considers this decision premature.

Attitude towards Ancelotti and Neymar

According to ESPN, Rogerio Micale was unhappy with the playing time given to Neymar by Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti. The forward, who arrived at the tournament with an injury, played 14 minutes against Scotland and only 23 minutes against Norway. Although Neymar scored a penalty late in the game against Norway, it was not enough to save the team.

Micale emphasized that world-class stars need a special approach. "For me, Neymar is Brazil's best player. I don't know if I have the right to talk about Ancelotti, but Neymar should have been used better. Just like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Mohamed Salah. I worked in Egypt and witnessed how an entire system was created there to ensure Salah played at the highest level," says the coach.

The expert believes that even if the player's physical condition is not 100 percent, his presence on the field serves as psychological pressure for opponents and a great source of motivation for teammates. According to him, such talents are capable of deciding the outcome of a match in a single moment.

Hope for the 2030 World Cup

Micale is so confident in Neymar's return that he even expressed his readiness to buy a ticket to watch his games. "I want to see Neymar on the field in the next cycle. I might not go if invited to many games in Brazil, but if Neymar plays, I will go to the stadium no matter what. Neymar is a player who leaves no room for debate," he added.

Recall that Neymar announced the end of his international career at MetLife Stadium, where he made his debut in 2010. At that time, overcome with emotion, he stated: "It's all over, I did what I could." However, the football community and fans are still hopeful that the 32-year-old star will return to the big stage.