João Cancelo Defends Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar at World Cup
João Cancelo has stepped firmly into the line of fire to defend two of modern football’s biggest stars, insisting Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar deserve respect, not ridicule, at this World Cup.
The Portugal full-back was adamant the veteran forwards have earned the right to be judged by their careers, not by a slow start or an injury lay-off.
“I don't think Neymar or Cristiano need to prove anything to anyone,” Cancelo told reporters, brushing aside the growing noise around both players.
Ronaldo, now 41 and still leading the line for Portugal, has been targeted after a flat display in his side’s opening 1-1 draw with Congo DR. The performance sparked familiar questions: is this one World Cup too many, is the captain still untouchable, is his place guaranteed?
Cancelo wants none of it. For him, the numbers close the argument.
Ronaldo has joined Argentina captain Lionel Messi as only the second player to appear at a sixth World Cup. Across more than two decades with the national team, he has scored 143 goals for Portugal since his debut in 2003 – the highest tally in men’s international football. That weight of history hangs over every touch, every missed chance, every expression of frustration.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Neymar has not kicked a ball in Brazil’s first two group games. A calf injury has kept the 34-year-old out, and his very presence in the squad has been questioned by critics who argue a half-fit superstar blocks a place for a sharper option.
Cancelo pushed back hard.
“Their talent and what they've achieved in football speak for themselves. All that talk is just for show. Both Cristiano and Neymar know who they are and what they represent for their countries.”
Neymar’s record is no less imposing. He stands as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 79 goals in 128 appearances. Yet he has not played for his country since tearing his ACL in October 2023 while on international duty. The long road back has fed doubts about whether he can still bend a World Cup to his will, as Brazil look for a new generation to step out from his shadow.
On Wednesday, he could finally re-enter the spotlight.
Hendry relishes Neymar battle
Scotland defender Jack Hendry is not among those fretting about Neymar’s potential return. If anything, he sounds energised by it.
The pair are set for a possible reunion when Brazil face Scotland in a Group C clash in Miami, after Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Neymar is fit to play.
“Yeah, no problem,” Hendry said calmly at Scotland’s training base in Charlotte, North Carolina, when asked about the prospect of facing Neymar again. There was no bravado in the delivery, just a defender who has seen this picture before.
As a Club Brugge player in the 2021-22 season, Hendry lined up in the Champions League against a Paris Saint-Germain forward line that read like a fantasy team sheet: Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.
“I’m quite comfortable coming up against Neymar and I look forward to it, it really should be a good battle,” he said.
Back then, Brugge held their own. Hendry recalled the opening game of that campaign, a match he believes finished 0-0 or 1-1, and one of the first times that star-studded PSG front three started together. For a defender, it was a crash course in survival at the highest level.
“You need to be concentrated, playing against these kind of players, because one split second you switch off, they can punish you, so it was a good experience.
You learn a lot from these moments, playing against these top calibre players.”
Hendry’s path has since taken him to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, where Neymar also briefly shared the same league after signing for Al-Hilal before moving back to Brazilian side Santos. Their careers have brushed past each other in different countries, different contexts, but always with the same theme: Neymar as the test of a defender’s nerve.
“I think he got injured out in Saudi, he did his ACL, which was unfortunate, obviously I would have played against him more,” Hendry added.
Now, the stage is bigger, the stakes higher, and the spotlight harsher. Neymar is trying to prove his body can still carry the weight of Brazil’s expectations. Ronaldo is trying to show that time has not finally caught him.
Cancelo insists they owe nobody an explanation. Hendry, for his part, just wants the duel.
“So I look forward to it and we'll see if he plays.”
