Neymar Junior, who will miss the Copa America due to injury, has named Real Madrid forward Jodrigo as the key player for Brazil.

"Neymar backs one Real Madrid player, not Vinicius, as Brazil's key," the British newspaper Tribuna reported on Thursday (June 24).

Brazil will play their first match of the tournament against Costa Rica in Group D of the Confederation of South American Football (COMEBOL) Copa America 2024 at 10 a.m. on June 25 at Levi's Stadium in SoFi, California, USA.

Neymar, who will miss the Copa America due to injury, recently spoke to TNT Sports about the key players on the Brazilian soccer team. "I think that Hodrigo is a key player for Brazil," he said.

"Vinicius will definitely play his part. I think Hodriguez is very different, he is a top player. The number 10 shirt will bring him a lot of luck," he added.

Hodrigo grew up in Brazil with Santos and joined Real Madrid ahead of the 2019-20 season. Real Madrid paid €45 million to acquire the 스포츠토토 then-17-year-old.

In a Real Madrid jersey, Hodrigo wasted no time getting acclimatized. In his first season, he scored nine goals and provided three assists in 29 games, helping the club win the Spanish La Liga title. He has been consistently good since then. He scored two goals and provided eight assists in 33 games in 2020-21 and nine goals and 10 assists in 49 games in 2021-22.

Last season, Hodriguez's potential was fully realized, as he scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists in 57 games to establish himself as a regular starter. This season, he's done it again, scoring 17 goals and creating nine assists in 51 games, helping his team win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Meanwhile, Hodriguez could leave Real Madrid after the Copa America. This is due to the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and Endrique. Both players have tons of potential and skill. The general consensus is that Hodriga"s playing time will decrease.

In an interview with DAZN in May, when asked if he wanted to stay at Real Madrid forever, he said: "Anything can happen. I have a contract left, but I don't know. I've enjoyed the last few years here. I've always said that I want to stay at the club, but we'll see," he said.