João Cancelo Defends Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Amid Criticism

João Cancelo has stepped firmly into the line of fire to defend two of modern football’s biggest lightning rods. For the Portugal defender, the criticism currently raining down on Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar at this World Cup says more about the noise around the game than the players themselves.

Ronaldo, now 41, has been hammered in sections of the media after a flat display in Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with Congo DR. Neymar, 34, hasn’t played a minute for Brazil in their first two matches because of a calf injury, and his very presence in the squad has been questioned by pundits who argue a half-fit star should have stayed at home.

Cancelo wants none of it.

“I don't think Neymar or Cristiano need to prove anything to anyone,” he told reporters, cutting straight through the debate.

Their careers back him up. Ronaldo has joined Argentina captain Lionel Messi as only the second player ever to appear at six World Cups. He remains the men’s all-time leading international scorer, with 143 goals since his debut for Portugal in 2003, a body of work that would usually put a player beyond reproach.

Neymar’s numbers are just as heavy. He is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 79 goals in 128 games, even though he has not pulled on the shirt since tearing his ACL on international duty in October 2023. That long lay-off frames the current tension around his selection, but Cancelo is unmoved.

“Their talent and what they've achieved in football speak for themselves,” he said. “All that talk is just for show. Both Cristiano and Neymar know who they are and what they represent for their countries.”

While the debate rages, players who may have to stop them are quietly preparing.

Hendry ready for Neymar duel

Scotland defender Jack Hendry is one of them, and he sounds more intrigued than intimidated by the idea of facing Neymar again when Brazil meet Scotland in Wednesday’s World Cup Group C clash in Miami.

The Brazilian forward has missed his side’s first two group games with that calf problem, but head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he is fit to play against the Scots. That immediately sharpens Hendry’s focus.

Asked at Scotland’s training base in Charlotte, North Carolina, about the prospect of another showdown with Neymar, Hendry barely raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, no problem,” the former Dundee and Celtic defender said calmly. “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 seen Neymar at close quarters. As a Club Brugge player in the 2021-22 season, he faced him in the Champions League when the Brazilian formed part of a Paris Saint-Germain front line that also included Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

“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,” Hendry 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.”

That night left a mark, not in fear, but in education.

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

Their paths almost crossed more often in Saudi Arabia. Hendry moved to Al-Ettifaq in 2023, and Neymar soon arrived in the same league with Al-Hilal before later returning to Brazilian side Santos.

“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 is the World Cup, not a league fixture under floodlights in the Gulf or a group game in Belgium. Neymar is fighting to prove his fitness to a sceptical public; Ronaldo is fighting time and expectation; defenders like Hendry are fighting for their own place in the story.

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

If he does, the criticism, the numbers, the years – all of it will fade for 90 minutes. It will come down to whether a 34-year-old genius can still tilt a World Cup night, and whether a Scotland back line that “learned a lot” from facing him once can stop him doing it again.