All eyes on Neymar: Half-fit has-been or Selecao saviour?!

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At an event in Belo Horizonte last week, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made a joke at the expense of Neymar, whom he described as a "work-from-home player". Unsurprisingly, it didn't go over well. Neymar's inclusion in the Selecao is no laughing matter in Brazil. The rights and wrongs of Carlo Ancelotti calling up a half-fit has-been have been the subject of heated debate for months now.

Lula's jibe may have been rooted in the fact that Neymar was an active supporter of his disgraced far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. However, even some of those Brazilians that do not share Neymar's political views are desperately hoping that he will be fit for Wednesday's crucial World Cup clash with Scotland in Miami.

The early signs are certainly encouraging on that front. Despite missing his country's opening two games in North America, Neymar has seemingly made a full recovery from the calf injury that put his participation in a fourth World Cup finals in jeopardy, and is now expected to be named among the substitutes for a game that Brazil need to win - and probably win well - to secure top spot in Group C.

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'Extraordinary history'

Lucas Paqueta insisted that everyone in the Brazil squad was "very happy" to have Neymar back on the training pitch earlier this week.

"He is a very important player for the national team," the Flamengo attacking midfielder told reporters. "He has an extraordinary history with this shirt and he can still help us a lot. We hope he'll be available as soon as possible to contribute to the team."

Of course, what exactly Neymar can 'contribute' is still unclear at this particular point in time.

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Forty-five games in three years

Brazil's all-time leading goal-scorer really only is in the squad because of his "extraordinary history", because he's not done anything over the past three years, let alone the past three months, to warrant inclusion.

Indeed, since his last appearance for Brazil against Uruguay on October 18, 2023, Neymar has played just 45 games of professional football, and scored only 17 goals.

To put that in context, fellow forward Joao Pedro, who was controversially omitted from Brazil's World Cup squad, bettered both of those tallies during the past season alone (20 goals in 50 appearances for Chelsea).

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Messi-like impact?

Of course, Neymar is still only 34 - but he's hardly a 'young 34'. Lionel Messi was a year older when he inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar four years ago.

However, while Neymar's natural talent may be comparable to that of his former team-mate and good friend, the pair couldn't be more different off the field - which is why the Brazilian failed to realise his full potential while Messi continues to surpass all expectations at 38.

There is, however, a chance that Neymar's mere presence on the field - or even on the bench - could have a Messi-like effect on those around him.

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Popular player

While he's the kind of contemptible character that will slap a teenage team-mate, Neymar remains an immensely popular figure within his native Brazil, and much more importantly, the Selecao.

Casemiro was among those clamouring for Neymar to be recalled for the World Cup, after just eight Serie A appearances for Santos this year, while Vinicius Jr is just one of several members of Ancelotti's squad who still looks up to a notoriously unprofessional player.

"Having him with the group is very important for all of us," the Real Madrid superstar said. "He is my idol and has always given me a lot of support. I hope he comes back for the next game (against Scotland) and helps us throughout the World Cup."

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Help required

That Brazil could do with some assistance is beyond dispute. Ancelotti's men may be top of Group C, but they've been far from impressive in their opening two fixtures.

The Selecao could - and indeed should - have been more than one goal down when Vinicius produced a moment of magic to restore parity shortly after the cooling break in their tournament-opener against Morocco. Brazil unquestionably improved the longer the game wore on, but they showed very little in New Jersey to suggest they're capable of winning a sixth World Cup in a month's time.

It was a similar story against Haiti. Brazil may have won 3-0, with Matheus Cunha proving an upgrade on Igor Thiago in attack, but their reliance on Vinicius to make something happen was once again laid bare, and this time against one of the weakest teams in the tournament.

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Opportunity knocks

Naturally, the lack of cohesion and creativity in the Brazil attack only led to further calls for Neymar to be picked as soon as he's fit to feature, and the path has now been cleared for his return.

After Ancelotti lost Raphinha to injury during the Haiti game, the Italian revealed immediately afterwards that Neymar would be available for selection against the Scots. With Raphinha having since been ruled out until the last 16 - at the earliest - there's now a very real chance that we could even see Neymar start in the round of 32, if he gets some minutes under his belt in Miami.

That's obviously a big 'if' given his incessant injury issues over the past few years, but Brazil will take it.

Neymar really has been little more than a part-time player since the last World Cup but, in the eyes of a significant number of his compatriots, his past performances provide hope that he could solve their present problems.