Brazil football team forward Raphinha faces a tough task ahead of him after his FIFA World Cup 2026 participation was thrown into uncertainty following a hamstring injury.
He suffered the injury during the Group C match against Haiti and the Barcelona footballer had to leave the field. Raphinha’s wife, Natalia Belloli, has now revealed that the footballer was left in tears over his injury and she recalled an emotional phone call with him. “Honestly, it was one of the first times I was speechless. He was crying, and so was I,” Natalia said on Domingao com Huck. While the Brazil team management has not said anything officially about the forward’s injury, it is likely that he can be ruled out of the competition if it is something serious.
“Now he’s doing well, strong and sure of his purpose,” she added.
Meanwhile, Brazil received a massive boost at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as talismanic forward Neymar has returned to full training ahead of the final Group C match against Scotland.
The Santos forward, who had partially resumed training last week, was sidelined for the start of the tournament, completed his first full session with Brazil’s squad since it assembled in Terespolis, near Rio de Janeiro, on May 27.
Neymar took to X to share glimpses of his training drills and captioned it, “Thank you, God, I’m so incredibly happy!”
On Friday, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said the 34-year-old had recovered from a grade two calf strain and would be included in the matchday squad for Wednesday’s final Group C match against Scotland in Miami.
Teammate LucasPaqueta said Neymar’s availability had provided a morale boost to the five-time world champion.
“We’re all pleased about Neymar’s return,” the midfielder told reporters on Sunday. “He’s an extremely important player for our national team, someone with a wonderful history who can help us a lot. I hope he can be on the field helping us again as soon as possible.”
Last week, Neymar underwent imaging tests to assess the progress of his injury, which is satisfactory.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 128 international appearances, has not played for the national team since suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in October 2023.
He has indicated the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the last of his career. The 34-year-old made the statement in response to a social media post from FIFA showing images of Neymar’s career along with the words, “We’ve watched him grow up.”
Brazil currently leads Group C with four points, ahead of second-placed Morocco on goal difference. Scotland is third with three points and Haiti last, having yet to register a point.