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Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has made a tongue-in-cheek remark about Neymar’s injury-hit start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, calling him the first footballer ever to “work from home”. The Santos forward has been forced to watch the early part of the tournament in North America from the sidelines as he continues to recover from a lingering calf injury.

Lula’s ‘home office’ comment

Speaking at an event in Belo Horizonte, President Lula shared a light-hearted moment with a young supporter while discussing the national team’s current form. When the child said Neymar was the best player in the Selecao squad, Lula humorously pointed out the 34-year-old’s absence from the field due to his recent injury issues, according to Globo.

Drawing on a viral post circulating online, Lula told the audience: “I saw something yesterday, that Neymar is the first home office call-up in the world. Home office player. I saw that on the internet yesterday. I think any day now we're going to have to make a national team with artificial intelligence: 11 Peles.”

Fighting for fitness in North America

While Lula’s comments drew laughter, Brazil’s camp has been carefully managing the recovery of their star attacker. Neymar is working tirelessly to overcome a grade two calf strain that kept him out of Brazil’s opening two matches at the World Cup.

The forward was recently spotted stepping up his rehabilitation with light training sessions on the grass in New Jersey, separate from the main squad. Despite the “home office” jokes circulating back home, Brazil’s medical team are accelerating his recovery to have him fit for the later stages of the tournament as they push toward their dream of a record sixth world title.

Lula’s history with Brazil’s star strikers

This is not the first instance of Lula’s remarks sparking headlines about the physical condition of Brazil’s leading forwards. During his first presidential term in 2006, he publicly questioned the fitness of the legendary Ronaldo Nazario ahead of the World Cup in Germany. The comment triggered a public exchange between the two.

At the time, Lula had asked coach Carlos Alberto Parreira: “Every now and then, I meet Ronaldo and I know he’s thin. But every now and then we read in the Brazilian press that Ronaldo is fat. After all, is he fat or not fat?”

The question did not go down well with Ronaldo, who famously responded: “Everyone says that he [Lula] drinks a lot. Just as it is a lie that I am fat, it must be a lie that he drinks a lot.”

Ancelotti gives fitness update

Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti has now provided a positive update on Neymar’s recovery, indicating that his period of individual training is almost over. Following Brazil’s 3-0 win over Haiti, the Italian manager confirmed that the team’s all-time leading scorer is close to rejoining full training.

Ancelotti said: “Neymar will be training tomorrow individually, and on Monday with the rest of the team. He will be available for the match against Scotland.”

Neymar’s expected return will come as a major boost for the Selecao as they aim to secure their place in the knockout stages and quieten critics who have questioned the star’s fitness and commitment.