The tears of a 100-billion-won star overshadowed by Neymar, even his family fell into sorrow: "The World Cup was my dream..."

*This content was translated by AI.

'Football star' Neymar (34, Santos) defied all expectations and made the final 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. With Neymar joining, someone had to be cruelly left out. The unlucky protagonist was another prominent striker, Joao Pedro (25, Chelsea).

The UK's The Sun reported on the 19th (Korean time) that "Pedro's family watched the announcement of Brazil's final World Cup roster, but he was left out. Pedro's friends and family were plunged into sorrow upon his exclusion."

The outlet further explained that "Pedro moved from Brighton (England) to Chelsea last summer for a transfer fee of 55 million pounds (approximately 100 billion won). He scored 23 goals in the previous tournament and seemed poised to secure a spot for the World Cup, but Brazil national team manager Carlo Ancelotti chose Neymar."

Pedro, considered one of the top strikers in the English Premier League (EPL), has been playing as a key player for Chelsea since his transfer. He proved his value by scoring 23 goals in the previous tournament using only field goals. This season, Chelsea has struggled, sitting 10th in the league with 49 points, but Pedro's performances stood out. In particular, Pedro had been consistently selected for the Brazil national team recently and was preparing for the World Cup.

On this day, Brazil national team manager Carlo Ancelotti announced the final 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, to be held next month.

It appears that Pedro, along with his family, was naturally waiting for his inclusion in the final roster. In a video released by Brazilian media Globo, Pedro's family and friends gathered in front of a TV to watch the announcement of Brazil's final roster together. A barbecue party was reportedly prepared on one side. However, Pedro's name was never called. Desperate sighs poured out, and one person slammed the table in anger.

According to reports, Manager Ancelotti prepared two different rosters: one including Pedro and another including Neymar. Ancelotti's final choice was Neymar.

Brazil's 'legend' Neymar (Santos) overcame various crises, including injuries, and made the final roster for the North American World Cup. He holds the record for the most goals in Brazil's national team history (79 goals in 128 matches). Although still evaluated as a world-class striker, his physical condition is a concern. Neymar suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in 2023 and Oh Raet-dong-an (CEO) could not play for the national team. However, Manager Ancelotti showed faith in him at the last moment.

As a result, Neymar was included in this final roster, returning to the national team for the first time in about three years. He is set to step onto the World Cup stage for the fifth time in his career.

After being left out of the final roster, Pedro wrote on his SNS: "I have always tried my best. Unfortunately, I could not fulfill my dream of Jo Guk-eul (CEO) at the World Cup. But, as always, I will try to remain calm and focused. Joy and frustration are part of football." He added, "From now on, I wish luck to all the players there. As a fan myself, I hope Brazil brings home the sixth World Cup trophy in its history."

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*This content was translated by AI.