Major Absentees in Copa América: Neymar, Dybala, Cavani, Ochoa...
A new edition of the Copa América will kick off on June 20 in the United States, where several teams will shine and fight for the chance to win the title. However, there is a considerable list of absentees for the tournament: Neymar, Paulo Dybala, Edinson Cavani, Radamel Falcao García, Keylor Navas, Hirving Lozano, Arturo Vidal, Yoshimar Yotún, and Pervis Estupiñán are among the stars who will be notably absent.
Neymar, the all-time top scorer for the Brazilian national team, is recovering from a torn cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left leg, an injury he sustained last October during a World Cup qualifier match against Uruguay in Montevideo.
In addition to the absence of the Al-Hilal player, the Canarinha arrives at the 48th edition of the Copa América with other notable absences. Starting goalkeeper Ederson is out due to injury, former captain Casemiro is in a slump, forward Richarlison is also injured, and winger Gabriel Jesus is currently not in Dorival Junior's plans.
Paulo Dybala is also not included this time by coach Lionel Scaloni. The World Cup champion in Qatar was left out of the 26-man squad despite having an outstanding season with Roma, scoring 16 goals and providing 10 assists, though he had some recurring injuries.
"I feel I did good things this year. I was confident I would be on the list, so it was a very hard blow for me because being part of the national team is one of the best things there is," Dybala said in a recent interview with The Athletic, a sports supplement of The New York Times.
Edinson Cavani announced his retirement from the Uruguayan national team in May after learning that Marcelo Bielsa would not call him up for the Copa América.
"I have decided to step aside, but I will always follow them with a beating heart, just like when I had to take the field wearing this beautiful jersey," said Cavani, the second highest scorer in La Celeste's history (58 goals) and third in most matches played (136).
Mexico's coach, Jaime Lozano, left legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa out of his squad. Ochoa was a starter in the World Cups of Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022. Lozano aims to promote a generational shift with Luis Ángel Malagón, who will also miss the tournament due to injury. Additionally, "Jimmy" decided to exclude midfielder Hirving "Chucky" Lozano and forward Raúl Jiménez.
In Chile, new coach Ricardo Gareca dropped central defender Gary Medel, who had limited playing time with Vasco da Gama and now hopes to regain form with Boca Juniors. The Argentine coach also did not consider Arturo Vidal, who expressed sadness and anger over the technical decision that keeps him away from La Roja.
Another historic goalkeeper who will not be at the Copa América is Keylor Navas, who announced his retirement from the Costa Rican national team last May.
