Neymar Responds to Michael Olise Failing to Name Brazil’s Best Player

However, that apparently was not enough for Bayern Munich and France forward Michael Olise to name him as Brazil's best player. During a questionnaire in May, Olise was asked to identify the best player from several national teams. He named players from Argentina, Portugal, England, Spain, and Germany, but failed to name anyone from Brazil.

The interview sparked debate among Brazilian soccer fans, and Neymar's close friend Cris Guedes later brought it up during a recent vlog. When Guedes asked whether he had seen the interview, Neymar responded: "Yeah, I saw that thing."

While Neymar offered no further reaction, Guedes defended him.

"When you were the same age as him, you had already played 75 games for the national team and scored 50 goals," Guedes said.

Brazil has produced some of the greatest players in soccer history, including Romário, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Pelé, and Neymar. While all of those legends, except Neymar, won a World Cup title, he remains Brazil's all-time leading international scorer and has captivated fans throughout his career with his athleticism, creativity, and dazzling footwork.

It is not entirely clear why Olise failed to name Neymar, or even another Brazilian star such as Raphinha or Vinícius Júnior. However, the 24-year-old has previously spoken highly of Neymar.

"As a child, Neymar was my favourite player. I liked his tricky style of play. You learn things from lots of players, though. That way you become complete," Olise said in a 2024 interview with Bayern Munich.

Nevertheless, Neymar remains the face of Brazil's World Cup campaign, and his health is being closely monitored by the team. The 34-year-old is dealing with a calf issue and did not travel with the squad to Cleveland for Saturday's warm-up match against Egypt.

Brazil has not set a timetable for his return as he continues rehabilitation and intensive physiotherapy. There is optimism that he could return to training next week, with the tournament opener against Morocco scheduled for June 13 in New Jersey.