Damned if you do, damned if you don't: Ancelotti's impossible Neymar dilemma

Analysis

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Carlo Ancelotti is facing the music following Brazil's disastrous round of 16 exit from the World Cup, and his decision to call up Neymar is once again being scrutinised.

Heading into the tournament, the legendary Italian manager made the bold call to include the oft-injured Neymar in his squad at the expense of in-form Chelsea forward Joao Pedro.

It was a decision that made major headlines - and not just because Ancelotti snubbed one of Brazil's most prolific forwards. Most of the talk was about Neymar, Brazil's biggest talent since Ronaldinho or Ronaldo, who had endured a disappointing national team career up to that point.

The golden boy of a generation, Neymar had nothing to show for his incredible talent except a Confederations Cup and an Olympic gold medal, neither of which is really comparable to a World Cup or even a Copa America.

By including the 34-year-old in his World Cup squad, Ancelotti offered Neymar a shot at redemption, a final chance to lead his country to glory on the biggest stage of them all. His redemption arc ultimately did not last long.

Ancelotti haunted by Neymar

On Sunday, Brazil unceremoniously crashed out of the World Cup at the round of 16 stage. The Selecao's unique kryptonite - Norway - yet again came out on top to remain unbeaten against the five-time world champions.

Erling Haaland bagged a brace before Neymar pulled one back via a last-minute penalty. The 34-year-old went viral on social media because, instead of trying to restart the game quickly, he wasted time trash-talking goalkeeper Orjan Nyland before and after his penalty.

It was a sad but also fitting end to Neymar's career on the global stage. Despite being one of the most naturally gifted players to ever grace a football pitch - and holding the record for the most expensive transfer ever - nobody will remember him as a real giant of the game.

To be sure, his four-year spell at Barcelona was sensational, and his numbers at PSG were impressive, but Neymar never hit the heights he could have hit. Not all of it was his own doing - he can't be blamed for his repeated injuries - but his antics on and off the pitch certainly didn't help.

Neymar was only restricted to two appearances this summer due to his fitness problems, but even if he had been at the peak of his powers, he likely would not have been able to prevent Brazil's premature exit.

It had been coming. The Selecao played uninspired football. Ancelotti tried to transplant the approach that mostly worked well for him at Real Madrid to Brazil, and it just did not work.

Despite convincingly beating Haiti and Scotland and coming from behind to defeat Japan, they never looked like genuine contenders. Ancelotti's approach was lacklustre, but the fact of the matter is also that this Brazil simply does not have the same calibre of players as previous generations.

Nevertheless, the meek manner in which it all ended - with Neymar at the centre of attention - has once again seen the media put Ancelotti's decision to call up the unfit 34-year-old under the microscope.

Neymar had not played for the Selecao since 2023, and many were baffled by the fact that Ancelotti caved to the media pressure and included him. The clamour in Brazil for the veteran to feature had been enormous.

Despite his shortcomings on and off the pitch, Neymar is still beloved by Brazilians. Ancelotti was asked about him at virtually every press conference in the build-up to the tournament.

It is easy to say in hindsight that Ancelotti should have stood firm and not bowed to the vox populi, but that ignores some very important context: he would have been crucified regardless of his decision.

Had he left Neymar at home and had Brazil crashed out the way they did on Sunday - a very realistic scenario - the public outcry would have been even more enormous. Let's face it, Joao Pedro alone would not have turned them into title challengers.

Had he left Neymar at home and had Brazil miraculously won the tournament, people would have criticised him for denying the fan favourite the opportunity to finally banish his 2014 and 2018 demons by getting his hands on the World Cup.

The only way Ancelotti could have pleased everyone would have been by winning the World Cup with Neymar. But expecting this Brazil team to achieve anything of note is like expecting Neymar to stay fit for a full season: it's delusional.

There's no denying that Ancelotti didn't cover himself in glory, but the Neymar situation was a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't scenario for the coach. Harsh as it may sound, the best-case scenario for Ancelotti would have been if Neymar had retired before the tournament.

Written by

Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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