"Neymar isn't even playing. Neymar is the first home-office call-up in the world." With that one barb, delivered during an appearance in Belo Horizonte, Brazilian President Lula summed up the standing of the 34-year-old star. While the CBF, Brazil's football federation, insists that Neymar is in the final stage of his rehabilitation in New Jersey, the country's leader treats the call-up as a joke — and reckons the real fix lies in artificial intelligence, the kind that might one day put eleven Pelés on the pitch at once.
The contrast with the dugout is stark. Manager Carlo Ancelotti kept the forward in his squad despite yet another injury, this one picked up on 17 May, even though Neymar has not pulled on the national-team shirt since October 2023. And the president's sarcasm peaked the moment he glanced at the rival camp. "I was thinking about signing Messi to play for Brazil," Lula quipped, nodding towards Argentina.
So the question hangs in the air. Will the "remote" footballer repay the faith once he is back on the pitch — or does Brazilian football truly need a radical overhaul, perhaps even an Argentine import?
