Rodrygo emphasizes Neymar's value to Brazil's quest for their sixth World Cup title. In a recent ESPN interview, the star midfielder highlighted, \"He's our star, our best player. Anyone can see it, how much he is missed. Having Neymar healthy, which is what we all want, and he is in the final stages of his recovery. We want him back as soon as possible.\"
Neymar, 32, has been sidelined since November 2023 due to surgery on his left knee's anterior cruciate ligaments and meniscus injuries. The injuries occurred during the 2026 FIFA World Cup CONMEBOL qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023.
Brazil faced setbacks with a 2-0 loss to Uruguay, followed by defeats to Colombia (2-1) and Argentina (1-0) in the qualifying tournament. The losing streak was broken on September 6 with a 1-0 victory over Ecuador, where Rodrygo scored the decisive goal in the 30th minute.
Reference(s):
Rodrygo stresses Neymar's importance to Brazil in winning World Cup
cgtn.com
