Brazil squad: Neymar, Endrick left out for World Cup qualifiers

Posted Saturday, November 02, 2024 by ESPN

Al Hilal forward Neymar and Real Madrid's Endrick have been left out of Brazil's squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers at Venezuela and Uruguay.

Endrick, 18, has played only 107 minutes for Madrid and has not featured in his team's last four games.

Neymar, 32, returned to play with Al Hilal on Oct. 21 after a year-long absence due to injury.

"We decided not to bring him so as not to rush things," Brazil coach Dorival Junior said on Friday.

"He's practically fully recovered, but he only had a few minutes, which weighed heavily on the decision."

Neymar, who is Brazil's all-time leading scorer, last played for his country on Oct. 17, 2023, the game where he sustained a serious left knee injury.

Brazil squad: Neymar, Endrick left out for World Cup qualifiers
Neymar returned for Al Hilal after a year out with injury in October. Francois Nel/Getty Images

"He was willing to be here but he also understood the situation, the condition he is in, the lack of minutes [13] on the field," Dorival said.

"We have to respect the club's process. A player of his level always has the pleasure of being here. This is very important to us, even though he is not in full condition."

Neymar will have to wait until the March 2025 World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina to return to the national team.

Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior is back in the squad having missed the October qualifiers with a neck injury.

Vinícius joins the squad following a disappointing week which saw him miss out on the Ballon d'Or award. The Brazilian finished behind Manchester City's Rodri.

"I spoke to him the day before because I want to speak to him personally," Dorival said of Vinícius.

"In my opinion, an unfair situation, especially because it is an individual award. Nothing against whoever won the award, quite the opposite, it is the recognition of one of the great players of Spanish football, but Vinícius, for the work he did, should have received different attention.

"But the greatest prize that Vinícius won was the recognition and respect of his people. The vast majority of the Brazilian people realized the injustice that was done to the player who could have deservedly received the award."

Chelsea-bound teenager Estêvão Willian, who was left out of the team for the October qualifiers, has made the 23-man squad.

Estêvão, 17, has scored 11 league goals for Palmeiras and is the joined-leading scorer in Brazil's Serie A alongside Flamengo's Pedro Guilherme. Manchester City winger Savinho, who was carried off on a stretcher during the 2-1 loss at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with a suspected right ankle injury, has also been included.

Brazil are fourth in South America's World Cup qualifying table, four points adrift of leaders Argentina after 10 games. Brazil play at Venezuela on Nov. 14 and host Uruguay five days later. The top six teams will qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup, with the seventh-placed team going into an intercontinental playoff.