Casemiro on Neymar: A Fit Star Must Go to World Cup
Casemiro did not dodge the question. Tipped to wear the armband for Brazil at the next World Cup, the Manchester United midfielder knew Neymar’s name was coming and, when it did, he answered with the certainty of someone who has seen the No. 10 up close for two decades.
If Neymar is fit, Casemiro insisted, there is no debate. He goes.
“It’s a very awkward topic to talk about,” Casemiro admitted in an interview with ESPN Brasil, acknowledging both the sensitivity of the debate and his own history with the forward. “I’m Neymar’s friend. I’ve played with Neymar since we were 12 years old.”
Then came the key line, delivered without hesitation. Neymar, in his eyes, owes nobody any explanations.
“It’s very clear. At least in my opinion. Neymar doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. Ancelotti has already made the physical issue clear, whether he’ll be able to get closer to the ideal level physically. Talent… I don’t even need to talk about what a great player he is, what a great player he has been, and the talent he has with the ball at his feet.”
For Casemiro, the entire debate around Brazil’s most gifted attacker of the generation boils down to one word: condition.
“The big issue is the physical side,” he underlined. “If he’s physically fit, there’s no discussion. He has to go to the World Cup, he’s the team’s main man, he’s the team’s star. The issue is that it’s also up to him to be physically fit.”
That is where the clock starts ticking.
Four games, one verdict
Carlo Ancelotti will reveal his 26-man list on the 18th, in a high-profile event at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro. By then, the debate around Neymar’s inclusion may already have been settled on the pitch.
Santos’ No. 10 has just four matches left to show he can reach the level Ancelotti demands. Four games to convince that his body can keep pace with his reputation.
He sat out the clash with Palmeiras last Saturday, the club opting to spare him from the strain of an artificial pitch. That decision only sharpens the importance of what comes next: a run of fixtures that is as decisive for Santos as it is for Neymar’s World Cup hopes.
The first test lands immediately. On Tuesday (5), Santos travel to Paraguay to face Recoleta in the fourth round of Copa Sudamericana Group D. It is not a glamorous stage, but it is a pressure one: Santos sit bottom of the group and can ill afford another misstep.
From there, the grind continues at home.
Next up is a Brasileirão fixture, with Santos stuck in 16th and desperate to climb away from the danger zone. Neymar’s presence, rhythm and influence will be scrutinised as much as the result.
Then come back-to-back meetings with Coritiba that carry a double edge. The first is the second leg of the fifth round of the Copa do Brasil after a 0-0 draw in the first leg, a tie balanced on a knife-edge. The second is another league encounter, another chance for minutes, sharpness, and answers.
The schedule is clear:
- 5/5 – Recoleta (A), Copa Sudamericana
- 10/5 – Red Bull Bragantino (H), Brasileirão
- 13/5 – Coritiba (A), Copa do Brasil
- 17/5 – Coritiba (H), Brasileirão
Four games in 13 days. Four chances to show that the legs can still follow where the talent leads.
Casemiro has nailed his colours to the mast. For Brazil’s captain-in-waiting, a fully fit Neymar is non-negotiable. Now it is up to Santos’ No. 10 to prove that his body can keep pace with his name before Ancelotti reads out that list in Rio.
