Neymar left out of World Cup sticker collection for the first time
Famous Brazilian football star Neymar has not made it into the Panini sticker collection prepared for the 2026 World Cup. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
The thirty-four-year-old forward has, for the first time in the last four major tournaments, dropped out of the list of the world's strongest footballers. This unexpected decision has caused wide discussions among the football community.
According to Goal.com, this situation is directly linked to the player's recent performance and physical condition. Panini's representative in Brazil, Raul Valyesillo, explained this decision as the result of special statistical analysis.
Italian specialists carefully analyzed the players' participation in recent matches, time spent on the field, and injuries sustained. Based on the analysis, the probability of each player being included in the final national team roster was calculated, and unfortunately, Neymar's indicators were not sufficient this time.
The main reason given for Neymar's exclusion from the album is that he has not played for the national team since October 2023. A serious injury sustained in the match against Uruguay sidelined the player for a long time.
Since then, the experienced forward has been having difficulties regaining his former sporting form. The fact that he has been without match practice for a long time has had a serious impact on the specialists' decision.
Brazil's national team head coach Carlo Ancelotti is expected to announce the final squad for the World Cup on May 18. The coach has set very strict requirements for the players' physical preparation, and this situation makes Neymar's position even more difficult, since he has not played for a long time and is not ready for intense international-level matches.
The Brazilian section of the newly released album allocates space for a total of 18 footballers. Among them, alongside experienced players such as Alisson, Marquinhos, Vinicius and Rodrygo, is also the young talent Estevao.
This sticker collection is scheduled to go on wide sale from April 30 of this year. Thus, Neymar, who for many years has been a symbol of Brazilian football, will this time remain outside the prestigious list that fans collect.
