Carlo Ancelotti says he spoke to Brazil all-time top scorer Neymar before earning his first win as Selecao manager to seal a place at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior scored the only goal of the game in the 44th minute in Sao Paulo, with Neymar left out of Ancelotti’s first squad since his arrival from Los Blancos but still a part of the Italian’s plans.
“I saw Neymar at the hotel,” explained Ancelotti. “We hugged. When he is well, he can play anywhere on the pitch. Today, he could have done the same job as [Matheus] Cunha, as number 10. In that position, he can be very dangerous.”
VINIIII JR.!!!!
TINHAA QUE SER ELE!! BELO PRESENTÃO DE ANIVERSÁRIO PARA O MISTER 🇧🇷🇧🇷
🎥TV GLOBO pic.twitter.com/1JmKVR5d3z
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) June 11, 2025
Brazil vs Paraguay: Selecao secure World Cup place
Ancelotti’s first game in charge produced a 0-0 draw in Ecuador on Friday but his second sparked celebrations after Vinicius Junior met new Manchester United signing Cunha’s cross to decide the contest.
The result ensured Brazil will be at the finals in the US, Canada and Mexico, where Neymar is hoping to join them as the 33-year-old attempts to regain form and fitness at Santos.
The former Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal striker has been troubled by a hamstring issue since making his debut for the Brazilian giants in March and has not played for Brazil since suffering a serious knee injury in World Cup qualifying in October 2023.
“I have a long list of players who are all over the world,” said Ancelotti. “There are about 70. We will have time to evaluate each one.
“All 70 of them can go to the World Cup. There is no definitive list of 25 or 26. I really liked the attitude, commitment and atmosphere that [my] players brought to this first [squad].”
Brazil attack: Raphinha, Martinelli, Cunha, Vinicius Junior
Madrid’s Raphinha and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli joined Cunha and Vinicius Junior in attack against Paraguay. “Cunha wasn’t a centre-forward,” said Ancelotti.
“He was an attacking midfielder. We took advantage of the speed of Vini, Martinelli and Rapinha to attack the wings, and Cunha played more like a number 10.
“Against Ecuador, Cunha didn’t play and Gerson did. I preferred three midfielders to give more solidity at the back.
QUE HOMENAGEM! 🇧🇷✨ pic.twitter.com/CGurLD9lIX
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) June 11, 2025
“Casemiro is a security [figure] for the team. His quality, his leadership is very strong. He is a leader, like Danilo, Marquinhos, Alisson… not only because of his quality, but also because of his attitude.”
“It’s about having 10 players who run, who sacrifice themselves. Rodrygo has done this many times. Neymar can also do this without any problem.
“Raphinha is a spectacular modern player who combines his enormous quality with extraordinary physical work.”
Ancelotti: Brazil ‘played well’
Brazil are next in action at home to Chile in World Cup qualifying on September 9, and Ancelotti’s plans in the meantime include finding a house and attending the Club World Cup, which starts in the US this weekend.
“It was a good game and a very good first half,” he said of his side’s performance against Paraguay. “We played well [in terms of] possession of the ball [and] controlling it, although we didn’t finish much.
“We slowed down in the second half, but overall I thought it was a complete game and we’re very happy. We have to work hard; we have one year left [until the World Cup and] it was important to end the qualifying round with these two games, with a good performance.
“The fans are happy. I want to thank the fans for the reception they gave us. We left happy and now it’s time to look ahead.”
Comemora, príncipe! 🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/lQA44iu4MF
— Santos FC (@SantosFC) March 3, 2025
Neymar Brazil stats
Neymar has 128 caps and 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 ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay the following month.
After missing two games at the 2022 World Cup with an ankle injury, Neymar produced two goals and one assists but was part of a team knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
The result ensured he has never played beyond the last eight of the tournament, having been ever-present and contributed two goals and two assists before Brazil were knocked out at that stage by Belgium in 2018.
At his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar finished on four goals and one assist in five games but missed Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany and 3-0 third-placed match loss to the Netherlands through injury.
