Romario laments the state of Brazilian football but holds hope for 2026 World Cup

Martin Macdonald

• 11 Apr 2026 03:01 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Brazil legend Romario says the Selecao has regressed from the days of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo and that the quality level of the Brazilian Serie A has also dropped.

The South American giants, more due to their history than anything else, are one of the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

However, they haven't won the tournament in nearly a quarter of a century and are certainly in a World Cup victory drought by their own high standards.

The pressure is on the likes of Vinicius Junior, Neymar and Raphinha to deliver glory back to the country, but Romario, who won the 1994 World Cup, acknowledges this squad does not have the same quality as the last time Brazil won in 2002, while they have become too dependent on Neymar over the last decade.

“Technically, Brazil has really declined. Since the generation of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, it’s been complicated. Then, we became dependent on a single player: Neymar. And our young players leave too early for Europe, to small clubs where they lose their DNA,” he told France Football, noting “disenchantment” between Brazilians and their Seleção.

"Brazil can be champions, thanks to its history, its experience, and if Neymar gets back in form."

Romario insists Brazil can do it, especially under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, but they need to move on from the reliance on Neymar - even if they need him to get back to full fitness.

“Yes, people don’t really believe it anymore. But that was already the case before the 1994 World Cup. With Carlo Ancelotti, whom everyone respects, I regained confidence. We need to pull together to end this twenty-four-year streak without winning a World Cup.

"You can't rely on just one player. Especially if he's injury-prone. It's too risky. Right now, we have good players like Raphinha and Vinicius, but also young players like Joao Pedro and Estevao. Brazil can be champions, thanks to its history, its experience, and if Neymar gets back in shape."

Romario lamented the fact that Brazil has not had a Ballon d'Or winner since Kaka in 2007.

"Neymar could have won (3rd in 2015 and 2017), Vinicius Jr. too (2nd in 2024). Even Thiago Silva deserved it (21st in 2013). Brazilian football isn't what it used to be," he insisted.

"It's no longer capable of allowing a player to compete for a Ballon d'Or like it was fifteen or twenty years ago."

The Neymar conundrum

Romario previously warned Ancelotti that Neymar must be on the plane to the World Cup this summer.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward hasn’t been included in a senior Brazil squad for two-and-a-half years, with his last national team cap coming in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in October 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury.

Ancelotti previously warned that the player will need to prove his fitness levels to be called up and that big names won't be selected on reputation alone. Indeed, for last month's friendly matches, the last international break before the World Cup, Neymar was not called up.

There are some Brazilians who are campaigning for Neymar's involvement, no one more so than Romario, who warned "gentleman" Ancelotti that he must tread carefully over this particular issue.

"Neymar not being called up? That gentleman had better watch out… the national team is for the best players," the 1994 World Cup winner told Jornal O Dia.

"The Selecao is where the best and most talented players belong, and no manager should do without a player of Neymar’s calibre. He’d better watch out… it’s better to have a star like Neymar, even if he’s not 100%, than to call up just any other player.

"A star must play, always. I still hope to see Neymar prove on the pitch, in the Brazilian league, that he deserves a place in the final squad so that we can bring home our sixth World Cup title."

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