RIO DE JANEIRO, May 12 (Reuters) - Carlo Ancelotti will walk into Monday's Brazil squad announcement with a nation peering over his shoulder and one burning question hanging in the Rio de Janeiro air: Neymar or no Neymar?
The 34-year-old forward is Brazil's all-time leading scorer, but his place at the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off next month, hangs in the balance after years of injury trouble and an underwhelming return to Santos.
That leaves Ancelotti weighing romance against the cold, practical demands of fitness as he lays out his high-intensity blueprint for the record five-times champions.
"When you have to choose, you have to consider many things," Ancelotti told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
"Neymar is an important player for this country because of the talent he has always shown. But he has had problems and is working hard to recover. He has improved a lot recently and is playing regularly. It is, obviously, not such an easy decision for me. We have to weigh up the pros and cons carefully."
Ancelotti hosted Reuters at the Brazilian Football Confederation's headquarters in Rio, overlooking Barra da Tijuca, and spoke about the delicate selection call with the calm that has defined one of football’s most decorated managerial careers.
The Italian is the only coach to have won league titles in all of Europe's big five leagues and has lifted a record five Champions League trophies as a manager, in addition to two as a player.
'MUCH LOVED'
Yet few selection decisions will be picked apart quite like this one. Teammates have publicly lobbied for Neymar's inclusion, while supporters remain split between affection and anxiety over whether his body can still keep pace with his imagination.
"I know full well that Neymar is much loved, not only by the public but also by the players," Ancelotti said.
"This is also a factor, because we have to consider the atmosphere that will surround Neymar's call-up. It's not as if I'm going to drop a bombshell in the dressing room. He's very well-liked, he's very much loved.
"I think it's normal for the players to express their opinion. I'm grateful to everyone who has given me advice; I thank you all. But ultimately, the right person to make this decision, the one best placed to do so, is me."
Asked whether the players’ appeals had influenced him, Ancelotti said they mattered only in one respect: they underlined that Neymar would not disrupt the group.
For Ancelotti, the dressing room is not the concern. The circus outside it may be.
"The internal atmosphere, I don't think it will affect the team at all. The atmosphere is a very positive, very clean one, and no matter which player is in the squad, it will remain positive and clean right to the end," Ancelotti said.
"But I can't control the external atmosphere and what the media says."
'HIS FITNESS HAS IMPROVED'
The bigger question may be whether Neymar still fits the football. Ancelotti wants four forwards who can run, press and track back, a demanding template for a player who has struggled to string together a sustained run of matches.
The Italian, however, said Neymar had shown signs of progress.
"He has improved his fitness a lot in recent matches," Ancelotti said.
"He has played some very good matches lately. His fitness has improved. He can maintain a high intensity in a match. But there are matches and matches..."
Ancelotti said the decision whether or not to select Neymar would be his alone.
"I haven't been pressured by anyone to call up Neymar. I have complete autonomy," he said. "The decision will be 100% professional. I will only take into account how he is performing as a footballer. Nothing else.
"Can I draw up a perfect squad? Impossible! But I can draw up a squad with fewer mistakes than others who might do so. Of that I am certain."
(Reporting by Fernando KallasEditing by Toby Davis)
