João Cancelo Defends Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Amid World Cup Scrutiny
João Cancelo has stepped firmly into the line of fire to defend two of this World Cup’s most scrutinised stars, insisting Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar have nothing left to prove to anyone.
Ronaldo, now 41 and still leading the line for Portugal, has been hammered in sections of the media after a flat display in the 1-1 draw with Congo DR in their opening game. Neymar, 34, has yet to kick a ball for Brazil at this tournament because of a calf injury, a situation that has fuelled arguments that he should never have been taken to the World Cup at all.
Cancelo is having none of it.
“I don't think Neymar or Cristiano need to prove anything to anyone,” the Portugal defender told reporters, cutting through the noise around two of the modern era’s defining forwards.
Their records back him up. Ronaldo, now playing in a sixth World Cup, stands alongside Argentina captain Lionel Messi as the only players to reach that landmark. He is the men’s all-time leading international scorer, with 143 goals since making his Portugal debut in 2003. Neymar, for his part, sits atop Brazil’s scoring charts with 79 goals in 128 appearances, even though he has not played for his country since tearing his ACL on international duty in October 2023.
“Their talent and what they've achieved in football speak for themselves,” Cancelo said. “All that talk is just for show. Both Cristiano and Neymar know who they are and what they represent for their countries.”
While the debate rages around reputations, fitness and legacy, one man is simply relishing the chance to face Neymar again.
Jack Hendry is not blinking.
The Scotland defender could be up against the Brazil forward on Wednesday in a World Cup Group C clash in Miami, with Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti confirming Neymar is fit to return after missing the first two matches.
Hendry, speaking at Scotland’s training base in Charlotte, North Carolina, sounded almost casual about the prospect.
“Yeah, no problem,” he said, asked about the possibility of marking Neymar. “Obviously, he was out in the league I was in [in Saudi Arabia]. I'm quite comfortable coming up against Neymar and I look forward to it, it really should be a good battle.”
Hendry, now 31, has seen this picture before. As a Club Brugge player in the 2021-22 season, he started a Champions League tie against a Paris Saint-Germain front three of Neymar, Messi and Kylian Mbappé. It was the kind of assignment defenders remember for the rest of their careers.
“I played against him in the Champions League when he was at PSG, obviously that was a good test,” Hendry recalled. “Obviously the front three at that time were Messi, Mbappé and Neymar. It's a not bad front three so it was a good experience.”
His path crossed with Neymar’s again, at least on paper, in Saudi Arabia. Hendry moved to Al-Ettifaq in 2023, while Neymar signed for Al-Hilal the same year before later returning to Brazil with Santos. Injury, though, kept them apart.
“I think he got injured out in Saudi, he did his ACL, which was unfortunate, obviously I would have played against him more,” Hendry said.
The respect is clear, but so is the competitive edge.
“I think the first game, we did well. I think maybe 0-0 or 1-1, I can't remember, but I think that was one of the first games they played together,” he said of that PSG clash. “So you need to be concentrated, playing against these kind of players, because one split second you switch off, they can punish you, so it was a good experience.
“You learn a lot from these moments, playing against these top calibre players. So I look forward to it and we'll see if he plays.”
As Ronaldo fights off questions about age, Neymar races against his body, and Hendry prepares for another examination against one of the game’s great entertainers, the World Cup offers its familiar stage: unforgiving, unforgivingly bright, and waiting to see who still truly belongs under its lights.
