Lionel Messi Supports Neymar's 2026 World Cup Bid
Lionel Messi wants to see his old friend on the biggest stage one more time.
The Argentina captain has thrown his weight behind Neymar’s bid to make Brazil’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the tournament should not go ahead without a fully fit version of the Brazilian forward.
Messi and Neymar forged their bond at FC Barcelona, then renewed it at Paris Saint-Germain, where their connection on the pitch mirrored a close friendship off it. That relationship is why Messi admits he cannot be entirely neutral when the subject turns to Neymar’s future. But his stance is clear: if Neymar is fit, he belongs at a World Cup.
Neymar was once cast as the heir to the era of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the man expected to dominate the sport once the two icons faded. At times he looked ready to seize that crown. At others, the story stalled.
Injuries kept getting in the way.
Crucial seasons were broken up by layoffs, key tournaments disrupted, momentum constantly interrupted. The Brazilian’s career became a stop-start saga, with brilliance punctured by long spells in the treatment room.
Now 34 and back at his boyhood club Santos FC, Neymar is trying to rebuild from home. His last appearance for Brazil came in October 2023, a reminder of how long he has been away from the Seleção at a time when the national team is already searching for its next great leader.
The clock is ticking toward 2026, and his body is still arguing with him.
This year, Neymar has managed only eight matches for Santos, his return repeatedly delayed by recurring knee problems. He underwent minor surgery in December, then needed another procedure in March. Each operation nudged the comeback date further away, each setback raised a fresh question: can he get back to anything like his peak in time?
The numbers say he is worth the wait. Neymar stands as Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals, and his 128 caps make him the second-most capped player in the country’s history. When he does pull on that yellow shirt, he rarely looks out of place among the legends whose records he has overtaken.
That is why Messi’s backing carries weight. Speaking to Pollo Alvarez, the World Cup-winning captain admitted his friendship makes it “difficult” to speak with total objectivity. Even so, he underlined a simple principle: the World Cup is for the very best, and when Neymar is fit, Messi still places him in that category. He also spoke of hoping for “positive things” for Neymar, a nod to the turbulence and frustration that have defined the Brazilian’s last few years.
Messi is not alone in that view.
Cafu, the two-time World Cup winner and former Brazil captain, has also stepped forward in support. He has long admired Neymar’s technique and has even gone as far as claiming the forward possesses greater natural skill than both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In Cafu’s eyes, a sharp, confident Neymar remains a match-winner, capable of tilting a game on his own if his body and mind align.
That “if” now shapes the entire debate.
Carlo Ancelotti, set to lead Brazil into the 2026 World Cup, will not be swayed by sentiment. He will monitor Neymar’s recovery closely, weighing what the forward still offers against the risk of taking an injury-prone veteran to a tournament that demands intensity from the first whistle to the last.
Brazil have younger options, fresher legs, new stars eager to claim the stage Neymar once seemed destined to own. Yet few of them carry his aura or his history in that shirt.
So the question lingers over Santos, over Brazil, over the next World Cup: can Neymar’s body give him one last shot at the stage his talent always demanded, or will 2026 be the tournament where Brazil finally move on without him?
