SAO PAULO: Brazilian great Ronaldo has called on the Selecao`s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti to restore Neymar to the squad for the World Cup in North America next year.

Brazil`s record goalscorer with 79 goals from 128 matches, Neymar has not pulled on the yellow jersey since October 2023, when he suffered a seriousknee injury.

The 33-year-old has played regularly for Sao Paulo side Santos since he returned to his first club in January following a fruitless spell in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal.

Even so, in his four matches in charge, Ancelotti has not called up Neymar.

`He is a decisive player for the Brazilian Selecao. We don`t have another playerlike Neymar,` Ronaldo, who twice won the World Cup with Brazil, said during a publicity event in Sao Paulo alongside his compatriot.

`The people hope 100 percent that he will go to the World Cup because if he is there, we will definitely have better results than if he`s not there,` added Ronaldo, 49, who scored 62 goals in 99 Brazil games.Neymar has been injuryplagued in the last few years and missed Brazil`s Copa America triumph on home soilin 2019.

He joined Al Hilal from Paris St-Germain in August 2023 but after playing just five times and scoring one goal, he ruptured his cruciate knee ligament on international duty against Uruguay.He was out of action for a year and would play only two more games for the Saudi side before leaving for Santos.

After leaving Neymar out of his squad for World Cup qualifiers in September, Ancelottisaidthathe `needs to get in better shape to help the national team and to give the best of himself at the World Cup.`-AFP