"He is my idol. He always inspires us. He's one of those players you pay a ticket just to watch him play." That's Lamine Yamal on Neymar — unprompted, unfiltered, and straight to the point.
The 17-year-old Barcelona prodigy used the latest FIFA international break to make his admiration public, adding his voice to those pushing for Neymar to feature at the 2026 World Cup. Coming from the most talked-about young player on the planet right now, that's not nothing.
Ancelotti hasn't closed the door
Whether Neymar actually makes it to 2026 is far from settled. Since Carlo Ancelotti took charge of Brazil, the forward hasn't received a single call-up — including the most recent window. That's a pointed silence from a coach who rarely says more than he needs to.
Still, Ancelotti hasn't ruled it out. The condition is straightforward: reach peak physical condition and prove you can contribute to a title challenge. After his injury layoff, Neymar has been working his way back at Santos FC, with signs pointing in the right direction in recent weeks. Whether "encouraging signs at Santos" translates to World Cup readiness is a very different question.
Brazil's squad depth means Neymar isn't walking back into a guaranteed starting spot. There's a real selection puzzle here, and Ancelotti — a manager who has never been sentimental about big names when results are on the line — will pick on form, not legacy. That makes Brazil's attacking market genuinely interesting heading into 2026; the squad shape could look very different depending on whether Neymar earns his way back in.
What Yamal's admiration actually tells us
The Yamal angle isn't just a feel-good sidebar. The Barcelona teenager is increasingly the reference point for the next generation of attackers — the player young fans are watching the way his generation watched Neymar. That he still frames Neymar as the benchmark says something about how deep that influence runs.
"I've seen it many times, even live. Neymar is a player who marked my entire childhood. I will always be grateful for everything he has given to football," Yamal said.
That's a career tribute. Whether Neymar gets to add one more chapter in North America next summer is entirely up to him — and Ancelotti.
