Is Neymar ready for the World Cup?

Up until Sunday, it was a fair question to ask. With less than a week to go until the tournament, the Brazilian superstar still hadn’t started a game since fracturing a bone in his foot in February. But after Sunday?

Yeah, pretty safe to say Neymar is ready for the World Cup …

GOAL: @neymarjr weaves his magic through the Austrian backline to double @CBF_Futebol's lead. 2-0. pic.twitter.com/A6oyxhUizc — beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) June 10, 2018





The goal tied Neymar with Brazilian legend Romario for third on the country’s all-time goalscoring charts. And Neymar, by the way, is only 26.

Not only does Neymar look healthy, he’s making any concerns look foolish. He’s putting defenders on their backsides just like he does when he’s at his best. He’s embarrassing opponents like only he can. Imagine watching that goal as a Switzerland, Costa Rica or Serbia player. It might give you a panic attack.

Oh, and only a week earlier, Neymar had marked his return from the injury with a similarly brilliant goal:





So, yeah, Neymar is definitely back. He’s well-rested. He’s ready to lead the Selecao to glory.

And Brazil, as a team, looks ready as well. It led Austria 3-0 late in its last warmup friendly. Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho bagged the other goals. Brazil, if not the favorite, is one of the two or three favorites to lift the World Cup trophy on July 15.

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Henry Bushnell covers global soccer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook.

More World Cup coverage from Yahoo Sports:

• 2018 World Cup preview hub

• Ranking the top 100 players at the World Cup

• FC Yahoo Mixer: The Ronaldo vs. Messi debate

• A tactical guide to the 2018 World Cup

• How Vladimir Putin can use the World Cup to his benefit

