Injured Neymar to miss WC qualifier vs Argentina; Replacement confirmed

Neymar was ruled out by Brazil for the World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina this month.

Neymar Jr
Neymar Jr goes past Pele as Brazil's top goal scorer. Photo: Brazil Football Federation
AP Rio de Janeiro
1 min read Last Updated : Mar 15 2025 | 3:21 PM IST

Neymar was ruled out by Brazil for the World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina this month.

Neymar, goalkeeper Ederson and defender Danilo were not fit to play for unspecified reasons, coach Dorival Jnior said in a video published by the Brazil Football Confederation.

The 33-year-old striker, who rejoined Santos in January, played his latest match on March 2 and was substituted for an apparent left thigh injury. He sat out the Sao Paulo state championship semifinal against Corinthians a few days later. 

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Real Madrid striker Endrick replaced Neymar in the squad.

Ederson's substitute was Lyon's Lucas Perri, while Flamengo defender Danilo was replaced by his club teammate Alex Sandro, also a Brazil veteran.

Former captain Neymar was recalled by Brazil this month after an absence of almost 1 1/2 years. He injured an ACL in October 2023 while playing for Brazil against Uruguay and only recently returned to action.

Brazil, fifth in South American qualifying, will host Colombia on March 20 and travel to leader Argentina five days later in Buenos Aires.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Topics :NeymarBrazilfootball

First Published: Mar 15 2025 | 3:21 PM IST

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