Neymar Returns to Grass in Recovery for World Cup

Neymar’s boots finally touched grass again in Morristown on Tuesday. Not in a match, not even in full training – but for Brazil, that sight alone felt like a small victory.

After a month nursing a right calf injury, the 34-year-old stepped out of the gym and onto the pitch sidelines at the Selecão’s base in New Jersey, taking what the Brazil Football Confederation (CBF) called “another step in his recovery process.” For a nation clinging to the hope of one more World Cup run from its great modern icon, it was a moment loaded with meaning.

Back on the grass, but not yet back

This was Neymar’s first session on grass since Brazil arrived in the United States. The CBF’s footage showed the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star running in straight lines, moving under the close supervision of a member of Carlo Ancelotti’s coaching staff. No sharp changes of direction. No ball at his feet. Just the basics – but after weeks of uncertainty, the basics matter.

The forward has been carrying a Grade II calf muscle injury, suffered while playing for Santos on May 17. That diagnosis always demanded caution, and Brazil’s medical staff have treated it that way, carefully controlling his workload to avoid a relapse.

He still made the final tournament roster, a selection that underlined both his stature and Brazil’s willingness to gamble on his fitness. Yet he arrived in camp with serious doubts hanging over him. ESPN reported that Neymar underwent new medical tests on Monday to check the healing of the calf, though the CBF has not released those results.

Brazil’s long game

In Brazil, the message from those around the camp is clear: this is a long play. Local reports suggest the medical department is working to have Neymar ready for the knockout rounds rather than rushing him into the remaining Group C fixtures against Haiti and Scotland.

That approach would effectively rule him out of the group stage, barring a dramatic change in his condition. It is a calculated risk. Brazil must qualify without him now to have any chance of unleashing him later.

For now, Neymar remains a spectator. He watched from the bench – in street clothes, not kit – during Brazil’s flat 1-1 draw with Morocco on Saturday, his role limited to encouragement and presence.

Ancelotti’s faith

Carlo Ancelotti, though, has not wavered. Speaking before the Morocco match, the Brazil coach underlined both his belief in Neymar’s recovery and the wider value of having him in the squad.

“Neymar is working very hard to recover as soon as possible,” Ancelotti said. “Our expectation is that he will recover and rejoin the group next week. When we included him in the roster, we added him for his technical abilities, which are indisputable. But we also want him for his experience and the example he sets for the young players on the team.”

Those words matter inside this dressing room. For the younger forwards, simply sharing a camp with Neymar – even an injured one – sets a standard. For the staff, his presence justifies the patience.

A career at a crossroads

This World Cup carries a different weight for Neymar. It is not just another tournament; it is a test of whether his body will allow him to remain at the top level.

He has not played for the senior national team since October 17, 2023, when he tore his ACL and meniscus in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. That injury triggered a long, painful cycle of surgeries, rehab, and false starts. Across the last few years, the Santos star has spent close to 700 days sidelined, drifting in and out of treatment rooms as Brazil moved on without him.

Now he is back in the camp, but not yet back on the pitch. The line between hope and nostalgia grows thinner with every setback.

It is expected he will again watch from the sidelines when Brazil face Haiti on Friday. The boots are back on. The running has begun. The question, for Brazil and for Neymar, is whether this careful plan will deliver him to the stage that has always defined him: a World Cup knockout night with everything on the line.