It was something of a warning from the 1994 World Cup winner to a manager tasked with the thankless job of leading the team back to a title they haven’t won since 2002. Ancelotti, for his part, is not bowing to public pressure and is sticking to his guns, even though he knows he has made an unpopular choice regarding a player who, whilst divisive, is still an idol in Brazil.
Shocked at not being included in the squad, the former Barcelona player said he won’t give up and will try to change the manager’s mind. His behaviour off the pitch, however, remains questionable: recently, after being left out of a match for his club Santos, he spent hours and hours gambling.
It is worth remembering, however, that these call-ups are provisional and were announced to test the squad ahead of the upcoming friendlies against France and Croatia. They will need to be confirmed or amended in three months’ time when the official squad list is released for the team Ancelotti will take with him to Mexico, Canada and the United States. Then the manager will face the toughest decision: Neymar yes or Neymar no?
