Neymar has Brazil on the edge of its seat: injured and riding a chopper

Day one of Brazil’s final preparations for the World Cup. Little by little, players and coaching staff are reporting to Granja Comary, the Brazilian Soccer Confederation’s (CBF) training base on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Casemiro fired the starting gun in the early hours of Monday, the first to arrive, and Neymar grabbed all the headlines with a grand entrance befitting his star status.

The No. 10 is the most sought-after name among Carlo Ancelotti’s 26-man squad, now gathering at the federation’s facilities. His arrival has been both anticipated and delayed. As was revealed by ESPN Brasil, Neymar touched down at camp in his personal helicopter, making the trip from São Paulo - where he resides - to Rio in a fashion that matched his larger-than-life presence.

It won’t be a quiet day for Ney - far from it. As soon as he arrives at camp, he is expected to be assessed by the CBF’s medical department, led by Dr. Rodrigo Lasmar, to evaluate the condition of his calf, where he is dealing with a two-millimeter edema. Neymar suffered a calf injury in Santos’s 3-0 loss to Coritiba just one day before learning he would be heading to the World Cup. He hasn’t played since and has been limited to modified training sessions to avoid aggravating the issue.

The CBF has been closely monitoring Neymar’s condition, maintaining direct contact with both his personal staff and his club. The tests scheduled for later today should shed light on the severity of the problem. For now, he looks to be out of the two pre-tournament friendlies - against Panama and Egypt - and there are even doubts about whether he’ll be fit in time for Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco on June 13.

Before departing for Rio, Neymar was asked about the state of his leg. His reply was characteristically confident: “It’s right here, fully intact. No problems at all.” Should he ultimately fail to recover, the CBF still has the option to replace him up to 24 hours before Brazil’s tournament debut.

A surprise visit

Rodrygo, another Santos academy product, made a stop at Vila Belmiro to support his idol before Neymar rejoined the national team setup. The Real Madrid forward was present at the stadium, watching from Neymar’s VIP box as Santos secured a 3-0 win. After the match, he visited the locker room, reunited with friends and former teammates, and was presented with an official club jersey.

Rodrygo remains in the midst of his recovery after undergoing surgery for an ACL injury several months ago. Sidelined from the World Cup for obvious reasons, he’s still expected to spend time at Granja Comary - and potentially during the tournament itself - to provide moral support to his teammates.

“We hope he recovers as soon as possible,” Brazil head coach Ancelotti said a few months ago. “He’ll miss this World Cup, but he has time ahead of him and will have other opportunities to play in future tournaments and showcase his quality, just as he has so far. We expect to see him at the next World Cup.”

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