Brazil’s record goalscorer with 79 goals from 128 matches, Neymar has not pulled on the yellow jersey since October 2023, when he suffered a serious knee injury.

The 33-year-old has played regularly for Sao Paulo side Santos since he returned to his first club following a fruitless spell in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal.

“He is a decisive player for the Brazilian Selecao. We don’t have another player like Neymar,” Ronaldo, who won the World Cup with Brazil twice, said during a publicity event in Sao Paulo alongside his compatriot.

“The people hope 100 per cent that he will go to the World Cup because if he is there, we will definitely have better results than if he’s not there,” added Ronaldo, 49, who scored 62 goals in 99 Brazil games.

He ruptured his cruciate ligament on international duty against Uruguay after joining Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain, having played just five times and scored one goal.

He was out of action for a year and would play only two more games for the Saudi side before leaving for Santos.

Read Also: Zidane’s son, Enzo, retires from football at 29

After leaving Neymar out of his squad for World Cup qualifiers, Ancelotti said that he “needs to get in better shape to help the national team and to give the best of himself at the World Cup.”

“He is a decisive player for the Brazilian Selecao. We don’t have another player like Neymar,” Ronaldo, who twice won the World Cup with Brazil, said during a publicity event in Sao Paulo alongside his compatriot.

Neymar has been injury-plagued in the last few years and missed Brazil’s Copa America triumph on home soil.

Source: Punch