Neymar’s 980-day wait ends

After 980 days, countless setbacks, and the kind of prolonged absence that has tested even the most loyal of fans, Neymar is finally coming back.

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed on the eve of the Seleção’s final Group C match that the 34-year-old forward is fit and ready to feature against Scotland at Thursday’s 4:00 AM Bangladesh Standard Time kick-off in Miami.

The announcement sent ripples of excitement through Brazil’s camp, where the mood ahead of the match has taken on the character of a homecoming. The 67-year-old was in his element when asked whether Neymar could handle 90 minutes.

“If an old man like me can walk around for 90 minutes, then Neymar can certainly run for 90,” he quipped — before clarifying, with characteristic charm: “I’m joking. But he really is in great condition.”

The message was unmistakable: Brazil’s most beloved footballer is back, and his coach could not be happier about it.

980 Days of Waiting
Ask any Neymar supporter and they will tell you exactly where they were the last time they saw him in the yellow and blue. It was October 17, 2023, in Montevideo.

A World Cup qualifier against Uruguay that Brazil lost 2-0. Their man — their No. 10 — was stretchered off in the first half with a devastating knee injury, and the wait began.

What followed tested even the most devoted. A difficult spell in Saudi Arabia, punctuated by injury after injury.

A sentimental return to boyhood club Santos last year, which felt like the beginning of a proper comeback — until a calf injury on May 17 sidelined him once again, just weeks before the World Cup.

He arrived in the United States with the squad but sat in the stands, watching, as Brazil drew with Morocco and beat Haiti without him.

Through all of it, his supporters did not waver. They carried banners, they trended hashtags, they filled social media with messages of encouragement. They simply refused to let go.

Now, their patience is about to be rewarded.

The Crowd’s Dilemma
Inside Miami Stadium on Thursday, the stands will be packed with Brazilian supporters who have made the pilgrimage for exactly this moment. Many will have Neymar’s name on their shirts. Many will have waited years for this night.

They will also, of course, be desperate to see Endrick — the teenage prodigy who has lit up the tournament with the fearlessness of someone unburdened by expectation.

The Chelsea and Real Madrid sensation has become a fan favourite in his own right, and the clamour for his inclusion in the starting eleven has been growing louder by the day.

Ancelotti acknowledged the crowd’s delicious dilemma with a grin: “I know supporters are crazy about Endrick. But tomorrow Neymar is also in our squad. Fans may be torn about who to cheer for. I think they will love both of them equally.”

It is a good problem to have. But for those who have followed Neymar through every scan, every surgery, and every agonising setback, there is no real dilemma at all. Thursday night belongs to their man.

What He Still Means
Brazil’s all-time leading scorer — 79 goals across 129 international appearances — Neymar has always been more than a footballer to his supporters. He is the last living link to the Samba football that made Brazil the most romantic footballing nation on earth.

In a squad of gifted players shaped by the modern game’s relentless demands, he alone carries the ghost of those five World Cup-winning sides: the dribbles, the audacity, the joy.

His absence over the past three years has left a gap that statistics cannot measure. Ancelotti understood it even before taking the job. “His experience and understanding of the game benefits the young players enormously, even when he is on the bench,” the coach said. “I am very happy he is back.”

But for the fans who will roar his name when he steps onto the pitch at Miami Stadium — whether from the first whistle or from the bench — it goes deeper than tactics and experience. It is about seeing the No. 10 shirt back where it belongs.

The Moment Arrives
Brazil sit top of Group C and enter Thursday’s match with the quiet confidence of a side that has not yet been tested to its limits. The result matters. The knockout stage matters. A sixth World Cup, the Hexa that has haunted Brazilian football for a quarter of a century, matters above all else.

But when that first roar goes up for Neymar — when the stadium fills with the sound of 980 days of waiting finally coming to an end — none of that will feel quite as important as the simple, overwhelming fact of his return.

He is back. And his people have never stopped believing he would be.