Neymar’s hopes of starring in a final World Cup are on the rocks after his injury status reportedly caused serious concern at Brazil’s training camp.
The 34-year-old arrived at Carlo Ancelotti’s stronghold in a helicopter and under a cloud after injuring his calf while playing for Santos.
And his calf troubles caused him to miss the first training session on Wednesday and require medical tests until one in the morning, according to Brazilian outlet Globo.
Brazil’s medical team reportedly had a local clinic shut down from 5pm onwards so that the marquee name could be examined.
Tension has apparently arisen between Brazil and Santos, who are said to have denied that the winger was injured before he was called up.
He could miss their warm-up games against Panama on May 31 and Egypt on June 6, leading to an undercooked Neymar in the oven-like heat of North America.
Neymar’s World Cup hopes are in doubt due to an ongoing calf problem which reportedly caused him to miss their first training session
The 34-year-old arrived by helicopter but was grounded to to medical clinic shortly after
One positive point is that the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was at least pictured in the gym before his team-mates went out to train.
Ancelotti announced his World Cup squad on May 18 and this must be finalised on June 1. After that point, squad changes are only permitted in the case of injury or serious illness.
One man who may privately be hoping for a change is Chelsea’s player of the season Joao Pedro, who was turned away in favour of Neymar.
The 24-year-old had an outstanding season amid Chelsea’s struggles, scoring 20 goals in all competitions, and has attracted the interest of Barcelona.
His family and friends all gathered in front of the television in a residence in Sao Paulo to watch his name announced in the squad – only to see, with some awkwardness and disbelief, that their beloved Joao Pedro was missing from Ancelotti’s cohort.
There was a party atmosphere at the shindig in the Ribeirão Preto region of the city, with Pedro’s loved ones having a barbecue and decorating the home in Brazil’s iconic green and yellow colours.
But the mood turned sombre when it became apparent that Pedro will be watching the tournament from afar, and his friends have hit out at Ancelotti’s decision.
‘We’re very sad because we know it’s a dream,’ said former footballer Jimmy Barboza, a close friend of Pedro’s, via Globo. ‘We always hope he’ll be called up for every match. Unfortunately, not this time.
Joao Pedro may be hoping Neymar drops out so that he can take his place at the World Cup
His family and friends gathered for Carlo Ancelotti’s squad announcement and were left gutted
‘It’s the coach’s choice. Now we have to root for Brazil. I’ll send him a message. It’s a surprise. I don’t know if Ancelotti has already called him or not, but we’ll do our part as friends.’
Arthur Mendonça, a childhood friend of Pedro, insisted that the Chelsea star was more deserving of a place in the squad than some selected by Ancelotti – but did not name names.
‘He had a chance of going. I believed he would, especially given the timing. Compared to others, the timing is better, but that’s how it is. There are differing opinions, and we have to respect that.’
Vanessa Barbosa, a family friend, backed Pedro to overcome this stinging setback.
‘Frustrating. That’s all I have to say. But João Pedro is a boy with a lot of personality. He’s very mature for his age and I’m sure he’ll overcome this. He’s certainly sad, but this won’t shake him. Regardless of what happens, we’re in this together.’
Meanwhile, Neymar, who has had an injury-marred season, celebrated his call up by pocketing a cool £4.5million from social media posts alone.
Within the space of just 50 minutes from Ancelotti’s announcement, Neymar shared three posts on social media, promoting an e-commerce platform, a sports brand and an energy drink.
Those three sponsored posts, according to Globo, earned him £4.5m.
