Until the final whistle, every touch he made was cheered by fans.© X (Twitter)
Neymar made his much-anticipated first Brazil appearance in nearly three years (981 days) after he came on as a second-half substitute during a 3-0 win over Scotland in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match in Miami. Prior to his emotionally charged return, the 34-year-old had been sidelined from the national team since suffering a severe torn ACL against Uruguay in October 2023. Entering the field in the 76th minute, with Brazil already up by three goals to nil against the Scots, the crowd at the Miami Stadium stood on its feet to applaud the former captain of the Selecao.
Until the final whistle, every touch he made was cheered by fans. Playing his fourth World Cup, Neymar was reduced to tears after the full-time whistle.
Neymar was in tears after his first match for Brazil since October 2023
I bet you don’t know why pic.twitter.com/bOsOGO1KZz
— The Random Feeds (@TheRandomFeeeds) June 25, 2026
“I’m very happy to be wearing the national team jersey again after three years,” he told Brazilian media following an emotional embrace with his family before he left the field. “I feel fine physically. Obviously, it was tough being sidelined for all those days.”
He did not start, and it seemed like that was the plan Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti had all along when he raised the possibility earlier this week that Neymar could play as a substitute.
And when Neymar got off the bench to start doing some warmup sprints and stretches along the sideline during the second half, fans in that area absolutely roared. The cheers got louder when he checked in, as well as when he made his first touch.
“A very important moment for all of us,” Vinicius Junior, who scored two goals for Brazil, said in Portuguese. “Our idol is back, a guy who always fought hard and did everything to be here, returning after a spell out with injury. I hope he can keep evolving and keep improving, helping us throughout the competition. That’s what matters most.”
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