There were beyond bizarre scenes in the Brasileirão on Sunday afternoon as Neymar was substituted off by accident.
The Santos No.10 was receiving a massage on the touchline in the 65th minute of the game against Coritiba when the subs board went up.
The board displayed Neymar’s No.10 for Robinho Jr, despite the fact he wasn’t injured.
It was in fact Escobar who was meant to come off, and Neymar furiously showed a piece of paper from the coach proving as much.
Yet he was booked, and not allowed to continue.
The timing couldn’t be much worse for Neymar, missing his last chance to impress Carlo Ancelotti before Brazil’s World Cup squad is announced tomorrow.
Neymar hasn’t played for Brazil since November 2024, but injuries presented one last shot at the tournament for the 34-year-old.
Neymar’s World Cup hopes over
However, even if he’d stayed on the pitch, he didn’t have much chance of impressing Ancelotti, with Santos 3-0 down and looking like they will be in another relegation battle.
Pre-match Neymar showed just how much a recall would mean to him, crying as the Brazil anthem played out.
Ancelotti has regularly stressed that Neymar is unlikely to make it in his squad.
However, during March internationals he faced pressure from huge names like Marquinhos and Romario to bring Neymar back into the fold.
Changing his tune on the former Barcelona and PSG man, Ancelotti gave Neymar some hope in April.
“He’s a great talent and it’s normal that people think he can help us win the next World Cup,” he told France Football.
“Neymar is capable of returning to 100% and still has two months to show that he has the qualities to play in the next World Cup.
“I will call up the players who are physically ready. After his knee injury, he has made a good comeback, he is scoring goals.
“He must continue in this direction and improve his condition. He is on the right track.”
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