Time comes for all of us, and I’ve lived long enough to see Neymar come on as a garbage-time substitute at a World Cup. Neymar, 34, is the Brazilian men’s national team’s all-time leading scorer, but before now, he hadn’t appeared for the Canarinho since tearing his ACL and meniscus in October 2023. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was brought to tears when Carlos Ancelotti named him to Brazil’s 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup roster, but Neymar was unavailable for Brazil’s first two
matches due to a lingering calf injury. So Neymar made his 2026 World Cup debut against Scotland in Miami on Wednesday, but not before Vinícius Júnior scored a brace and Matheus Cunha added a 60th-minute goal to give Brazil a comfortable 3-0 lead. Neymar replaced Cunha in the 76th minute to officially appear in his fourth World Cup. Here’s what happened next. Play-by-play legend Ian Darke appropriately described it as “just a bit of a rust-shedding exercise for Neymar” in the 83rd minute, as Brazil
mostly played keep away to ensure victory. But every time Neymar touched the ball, the crowd erupted at the mere chance that he transport them back to his heyday. In the 89th minute, Ryan Christie was shown a yellow card after dragging Neymar down from behind. Neymar took the free kick, which ricocheted off a wall of Scottish players and bounced back to him. He took a shot from inside the box, but it was easily handled by Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn. In the waning
moments, Vini Jr. and Neymar had a nice give-and-go in the box, leading to a blocked Vini Jr. shot and lending hope to Brazil fans for what may be possible between those two as the World Cup wears on. The final whistle blew, securing Group C for Brazil and sending them through to the knockout stage. Brazil will face the Group F runners-up in the Round of 32 in Houston on Monday, June 29. As of this writing, that could still be either the Netherlands,
Japan, or Sweden. Since the inaugural men’s World Cup in 1930, no nation has won more than Brazil’s five, but the traditional world football power hasn’t claimed the Cup since 2002. It won’t be easy to end that drought this summer, especially in the wake of Raphinha’s hamstring injury, but Brazil is certainly talented enough. This Brazilian team will go as far as Vini Jr. can take them, a role Neymar used to fill, but it would be a nostalgic ride off into the sunset
for one of the most talented soccer stars of a generation.
Neymar, Brazil, Scotland, 2026 World Cup, Vinícius Júnior, Matheus Cunha, Group C, Round of 32, Houston, Angus Gunn, Ryan Christie