For Neymar, the World Cup would be less like a new beginning and more of a curtain call - one last spin on soccer's grandest stage after a career of soaring brilliance and stubborn setbacks, reports Reuters.
Now 34, Brazil's all-time top scorer has been recalled by Carlo Ancelotti after almost three years away from the national side, though his participation was already hanging in the balance at the team's first training session last week, which he missed for scans that showed a calf injury.
He last played for Brazil in 2023 when he suffered a devastating knee injury against Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier.
Since that October night, Neymar has been sidelined for more than 600 days with a string of injuries between his time playing in Saudi Arabia and Brazil, where he returned to his boyhood club Santos last year in an attempt to revive his career.
Instead, more injuries and fresh controversies have accompanied a struggle for rhythm and sharpness.
This year he has six goals and four assists in 15 matches, carefully managed and never playing more than four consecutive games since returning from more knee surgery in February.
His inclusion in Ancelotti's squad has sparked fierce debate in Brazil. Team mates have publicly supported Neymar's return, yet supporters remain divided between loyalty and concern over whether his body can still match his imagination.
When England take to the field in Dallas on June 17 to face Croatia in their World Cup opener, all eyes will be on captain Harry Kane, with fans hoping he can carry his record-breaking scoring run for Bayern Munich into the tournament and help end their 60-year wait for an international title.
The 32-year-old, who just completed his third season at Bayern, scored 61 goals across all competitions for his club in this campaign including 14 in the Champions League, where Bayern were eliminated in the semi-final by holders Paris St Germain.
With 36 goals in his 31 league appearances, Kane earned a third straight Bundesliga top scorer crown, the first player to do that in his first three seasons in the German top division.
Having left boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur in search of major club titles that had eluded him until his 2024 move, Kane has earned two Bundesliga crowns as well as a German Cup following his hat-trick in the final against VfB Stuttgart on May 23. With England's only World Cup win dating back to 1966, it is normal for Three Lions fans to be looking at Kane as the one player who can carry the weight of expectations in this tournament, co-hosted by Mexico, United States and Canada.
England coach Thomas Tuchel has only praise for his captain.
"How does he always find the gap to shoot through and score," Tuchel marvelled at Kane's scoring ability during an England training session earlier in the year. "It's impossible, it's impossible. Everything is closed - the guy finds the gap."
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