In a promising development for Brazil’s World Cup campaign, star forward Neymar has taken his first major step toward a comeback, holding his first on-field training session at the tournament Tuesday, months after he suffered a right calf injury that sidelined him for much of 2024.
Diagnosed with the injury back in late May, the 34-year-old all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil has followed a strict rehabilitation routine ever since the Brazilian squad touched down in the United States for the tournament. Tuesday’s light running session at the team’s New Jersey training base marked a clear milestone in his gradual recovery from the prolonged layoff.
Neymar has not yet cleared the hurdle to rejoin full team training, and was forced to sit out Brazil’s opening Group C match against Morocco this past Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw. His inclusion in the final tournament squad already raised eyebrows across global football circles: consistent fitness problems have kept the veteran winger from making a single appearance for the Brazilian national side since the start of 2023. This year alone, recurring injury issues have limited him to just 50 percent of his club’s matches across domestic league, cup, and Copa Sudamericana competitions.
Brazil now turns its attention to its second group stage fixture, scheduled to take place this Friday in Philadelphia against Haiti. The team will close out its Group C campaign against Scotland on June 24 in Miami, with Neymar’s recovery timeline remaining a key talking point heading into the critical next phase of the tournament.