Even for a nation which sees football as being every bit as important as fresh air and running water, there’s an added sense of excitement about Brazil as they descend upon Miami.
Troubled by the calf injury he sustained while playing for Santos on May 17, Neymar was rendered a spectator for his nation’s games with Morocco and Haiti.
Just as Scotland are coming into view, though, the deafening level of noise which permanently surrounds the Selecao has been turned up a notch. With Raphinha injured, Neymar plays.
While the winger’s antics have always ensured he’s never enjoyed the love of Lionel Messi, his ability with a ball at his feet has always commanded the utmost respect.
Even at the age of 34, and without an appearance for his country since October 2023, it would be folly for anyone to underestimate him.
Injuries have taken their toll. But the skills which were honed on the streets of Sao Paulo can still take the breath away.
Neymar is set to make his long-awaited comeback for Brazil against Scotland on Wednesday
‘Messi’s 38 and he scored a hat-trick the other night, so age is just a number nowadays,’ warned Scotland assistant Steven Naismith. ‘Neymar is the kind of player who can do things all on his own, so you have to be prepared for that.
‘Within their squad, they have a fair few options and so many styles that can hurt you. If you lose possession and lose your structure, they’ll punish you without a doubt.’
Although Neymar may enjoy the status of a demi-god among Brazil’s followers, he is only flesh and blood.
Jack Hendry will gladly attest to that. Back in 2021, the defender succeeded in putting the shackles on him and some notable team-mates in a Champions League match between Brugge and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Belgians got an unlikely point that night and Hendry took the man of the match award home with him.
‘That was a good test,’ he said with no little understatement. ‘Their front three at that time was Messi, Mbappe and Neymar — so that’s not a bad front three.
‘These experiences just give you confidence. The more you play against players like that, the better from my point of view. These challenges can only help you as a player, they bring the best out in you.’
For all he still has the capacity to win games with one moment of genius, the inclusion of the veteran Neymar in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad had fuelled the narrative that this Brazil team isn’t quite on the same level as some who have taken to its stage.
It’s an interesting theory, one which perhaps gained a little more traction after that opening day draw with Morocco. Yet it’s just not one which Naismith puts much store by.
‘The teams I watched growing up were all ready-made stars, but this one has players who are still progressing in their careers, like (Matheus) Cunha going to Manchester United — we’ve all seen what a threat he is,’ he said.
Jack Hendry got the better of Neymar the last side the pair faced off back in 2021
‘So, they’ve got guys at the start of their cycle, but ultimately their attributes and potential are world-class.
‘Brazil is a special country in the way they play football, their morals of how it should be played.
‘They also have different threats, with guys like (Igor) Thiago as a target man striker who’s happy to take the ball in.’
As captivating as the games with Haiti and Morocco in Boston were after a 28-year wait, this feels like it’s on a different level.
Scotland taking on Brazil in Miami with a place in the knockout round of the World Cup at stake? It’s like something from a fevered dream.
Many stellar careers come and go without sampling matches such as these. If ever there was a time to leave it all out there, this is surely it.
‘If you’re going to make it into the next round you want to do it against these types of teams,’ added Hendry.
‘It’s going to be a great spectacle. Brazil are Brazil with an amazing history. But we want to disrupt that on Wednesday.
‘You have to go into the game with no fear. You want to be playing against the world’s best players. I look forward to that.
‘We can be proud of ourselves. But we’ve come so far now, we want to continue this and try to make the most of the position we’re in, which is a good and exciting one.’
Hendry is looking forward to to testing himself against the attacking talent of Brazil this week
It’s a curious situation in some respects. Scotland would dearly love to win or take a share of the spoils, yet they don’t necessarily have to do so.
Sustain a narrow defeat and they’d almost certainly make it out of the group as one of the best third-placed sides.
Merely battening down the hatches and hoping to avoid a shellacking is simply no strategy. But nor is going all-out attack. There’s a balance to be struck.
‘We’re as good as a lot of teams when we play forward, when we get bodies forward,’ added Naismith. ‘But that doesn’t mean we just go gung-ho.
‘There has to be a game plan — though that doesn’t mean we’re sitting around our own 18-yard box for 90 minutes either.
‘You can’t go full-on press from minute one because, taking in the conditions and the opposition, it would be impossible.
‘What matters is that in moments of the game when we feel like we’re dominating, we need to take risks and be brave.
‘There will also be hard moments when we need to sit in our shape and wait.’
