Brazil's injury-plagued football star Neymar was cheered on by loved ones and conservative presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro on Wednesday hours ahead of his long-awaited World Cup debut.
Neymar, 34, is set to take part in the third and final fixture of the group stages after recovering from a calf muscle injury. The match against Scotland, in the US city of Miami, will be his first for Brazil since 2023.
Neymar is in the building. 🇧🇷#FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 24, 2026
"The time has come," the forward's father, Neymar Santos, posted on Instagram.
The player's mother, Nadine Goncalves, shared a video of him recounting advice his father had given him as a child: "Son, run, dedicate yourself, play as if it were the last match of your life."
Brazil's all-time top goal scorer, with 79 goals for the country, missed the first two games of the tournament.
💚💛 Nadine Gonçalves compartilha homenagem emocionante a Neymar Jr. nas redes sociais
— Metrópoles (@Metropoles) June 24, 2026
🤳🏻 nadine.goncalves (ig)pic.twitter.com/VsetoShEF9
A shaky Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco and then dominated Haiti 3-0.
Politics also seeped into Neymar's return on the pitch. The player's public backing of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has contributed to his polarizing reputation at home.
Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of the former leader, released an AI-generated video in which he "rescues" Neymar in a military plane decked out in the Brazilian colors and delivers him to the stadium to save the team.
The video makes reference to a joke by his election rival, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who quipped on Friday that Neymar was the only player who was "working remotely" during the World Cup.
🇧🇷 Flávio Bolsonaro publica vídeo com IA “resgatando” Neymar para jogar hoje pelo Brasil.
— Eixo Político (@eixopolitico) June 24, 2026
A produção inclui trecho do vídeo em que o presidente Lula diz que Neymar seria “o primeiro convocado home office” da Copa. pic.twitter.com/8Ro0x4Sawt
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