João Cancelo Defends Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Amid World Cup Criticism

João Cancelo has stepped firmly into the line of fire to defend two of modern football’s biggest icons, insisting the World Cup criticism aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar is wildly misplaced.

The Portugal full-back, speaking at the tournament, dismissed the noise around the pair as little more than theatre.

“I don't think Neymar or Cristiano need to prove anything to anyone,” Cancelo told reporters. “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.”

Ronaldo, now 41, has been targeted after a flat display in Portugal’s opening Group C match, a 1-1 draw with Congo DR. Every miscontrol, every missed chance has been replayed and dissected, the scrutiny intensified by his age and the sense that each World Cup could be his last.

Yet the numbers refuse to bend to the narrative. Ronaldo has joined Argentina captain Lionel Messi as only the second player to appear at six World Cups. He remains the men’s all-time leading international scorer, with 143 goals for Portugal since his debut in 2003. Those figures define a career. Not one off-colour group game.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Neymar has been forced to watch Brazil’s first two matches from the sidelines, a calf injury keeping him out and igniting a different kind of debate. At 34 and coming off a brutal ACL tear in October 2023 while on international duty, his place in the squad has been questioned by critics who argue Brazil should have turned the page.

The record again tells a sharper story. Neymar is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 79 goals in 128 appearances. His influence on the Seleção stretches over a decade, his presence still a reference point for team-mates and opponents alike, even when he is not on the pitch.

Cancelo’s message was clear: this is not the moment to rewrite legacies.

Neymar vs Scotland: Hendry unfazed by the prospect

While Cancelo defends Neymar from afar, Jack Hendry may have to deal with him at close quarters.

The Scotland centre-back could be staring the Brazilian forward straight in the eye on Wednesday, when Brazil face Scotland in a World Cup Group C clash in Miami. Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Neymar is fit to play after missing the first two matches with that calf problem.

If the Brazil No.10 returns, Hendry is ready.

“Yeah, no problem,” the 31-year-old said calmly at Scotland’s training base in Charlotte, North Carolina, when asked about the possibility of facing Neymar again. “Obviously, he was out in the league I was in [in Saudi Arabia]. I'm quite comfortable coming up against Neymar and I look forward to it, it really should be a good battle.”

Hendry has already felt the weight of Neymar’s talent. As a Club Brugge player in the 2021-22 season, he lined up in the Champions League against a Paris Saint-Germain front line that barely seemed real: Neymar, Messi and Kylian Mbappé all in tandem.

“Obviously the front three at that time were Messi, Mbappé and Neymar. It's a not bad front three so it was a good experience,” he recalled. “I think the first game, we did well. I think maybe 0-0 or 1-1, I can't remember, but I think that was one of the first games they played together.”

For a defender, those nights can define a career, or at least shape it.

“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,” Hendry said. “You learn a lot from these moments, playing against these top calibre players.”

Their paths almost crossed again in Saudi Arabia. Hendry joined Al-Ettifaq in 2023, with Neymar later arriving in the league at Al-Hilal. An ACL injury cut Neymar’s time there short and denied Hendry a domestic duel with him.

“I think he got injured out in Saudi, he did his ACL, which was unfortunate, obviously I would have played against him more,” Hendry noted.

Now the stage shifts to Miami, the stakes higher, the spotlight harsher. For Neymar, it could be the night he re-enters the World Cup with all the pent-up frustration of a year lost to injury. For Hendry, it is another examination against a forward whose name still carries a certain fear factor.

He does not share it.

“So I look forward to it,” Hendry said, “and we'll see if he plays.”