Kylian Mbappe Drops Surprising Claim: World Cup’s Fate Tied to Neymar Amid Vinicius Controversy

“I don’t see a World Cup without Neymar, but in the end, I can’t go against my former coach, Ancelotti. Ultimately, you have to respect his decision, but for me, Neymar is a player who makes a huge difference,” Mbappe said. Ancelotti has consistently cited fitness as the primary reason for Neymar’s exclusion, not only for March but across recent call-up cycles, yet the Real Madrid star clearly believes the Brazilian still has a major role to play.

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“I’ve played with him; I’ve learned a lot from him. We’ll see how he is doing too, but I know Neymar, he’s going to prepare for the World Cup and he’s going to be there. I know him,” Mbappe added, offering a confident endorsement of Neymar’s chances of making Brazil’s final roster.

Neymar reportedly starts workload plan for World Cup

FIFA has confirmed that national teams have until May 30 to submit their final World Cup rosters, with Carlo Ancelotti reportedly planning to announce his list on May 18. With that deadline set, Neymar is said to be working urgently toward full fitness in order to be part of the final 26-man squad.

According to Globo Esporte‘s Murilo Tauro, Neymar and his team have put together a plan to protect the meniscus he underwent surgery on in December, built around personalized training sessions, a strict cap on match appearances and the avoidance of long-distance travel.

A key element of the plan is that, out of the 14 Santos matches scheduled before May 18, Neymar intends to feature in roughly half of them to manage his workload while maintaining enough match sharpness to make his case. Perhaps most strikingly, the report states that if Neymar is left off the final roster, he would stop playing for Santos for the remainder of the club season, a development that would send shockwaves through the soccer world.

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