Neymar and Endrick Dropped from Brazil Squad

Neymar, the forward for Al Hilal, and Real Madrid's Endrick have been excluded from Brazil's squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. Dorival Junior, the Coach of Brazil, said, "He's practically fully recovered, but he only had a few minutes, which weighed heavily on the decision." Despite Neymar's willingness, the lack of game time due to injury led the team to hold off his return. However, Neymar who last represented his country in Oct 2023, could make his return in the March 2025 World Cup qualifiers. 

Meanwhile, Real Madrid's forward Vinícius Júnior, sidelined from the previous October qualifiers due to a neck injury, returns to the team. Dorival reflected on the recent Ballon d'Or award event, which saw Vinícius missing out. He emphasized that Vinícius should've received more recognition for his performance. Estêvão Willian, the 17-year-old Chelsea-bound from Palmeiras, who missed out on the October qualifiers, is now included in the 23-man squad. 

On the other side, the team has also incorporated Manchester City's Savinho, despite his recent ankle injury. With Brazil standing fourth in South America's World Cup qualifying table, their next matches are against Venezuela on Nov. 14 and Uruguay five days later.