HOUSTON, June 30 — Brazil may have left it late to book their place in the 2026 Fifa World Cup Round of 16, but Neymar wasted no time delivering a cheeky message to one man who had already written them off.

Moments after Brazil came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 on Monday, the Selecao’s No. 10 took to X to poke fun at German economist Joachim Klement, whose much-discussed statistical model had predicted the five-time world champions would be sent packing by the Blue Samurai.

Neymar, who is continuing his gradual return and did not feature in the match, posted a brief but pointed message aimed directly at the economist.

“Mr Joachim Klement... please try again at the next World Cup,” he wrote in Portuguese followed by winking emoji.

The post quickly caught the attention of football fans, adding another twist to one of the tournament’s more unusual pre-match storylines.

Klement’s prediction model had generated buzz before the knockout stage after forecasting Japan to upset Brazil in the Round of 32.

His research combines factors including population size, football’s popularity within each country, Fifa rankings, gross domestic product (GDP) — which he argues can influence sporting infrastructure — and what he describes as “an element of chance” to simulate tournament outcomes.

The economist’s reputation was bolstered by correctly forecasting the winners of the previous three World Cups — Germany in 2014, France in 2018 and Argentina in 2022.

For the 2026 tournament, however, his model also tipped the Netherlands to lift the trophy for the first time.

That prediction also unravelled today.

The Dutch crashed out in the Round of 32 after losing a penalty shoot-out to Morocco following a 1-1 draw, leaving Klement’s projected champions on the first flight home.

Brazil looked in danger of adding another success to the economist’s résumé after Japan struck first in their knockout clash.

But the South Americans fought back with two goals to seal a 2-1 comeback victory and keep their bid for a record-extending sixth World Cup title alive.