BRAZIL
Brazil’s President doesn’t want Vinicius, Endrick or Rodrygo in the national team
The President of Brazil has called for the national team to be made up of those who play in their home country.
When it rains, it pours. After the first week of calm in months, following their comeback victory against Chile (2-1), President Lula da Silva has ignited a controversy that could spell trouble for the national team.
Lula remarked that the Canarinha should prioritize homegrown talent rather than relying on players based abroad, claiming there are “no true stars” among them. This comment cast a negative light on prominent players like Vinicius, Rodrygo, Endrick, Raphinha, Alisson, and Ederson, among others.
“Those playing abroad aren’t better than the ones here,” Lula stated in a radio interview, the day after Brazil’s victory over Chile in the World Cup qualifiers. The result had been spearheaded by Botafogo players like Luiz Henrique, a former Betis player, and Igor Jesus.
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Lula further disclosed that he had met with Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), to propose that only players based in Brazil be selected for the national team. This would exclude top talents like Vinicius—widely regarded as a future Ballon d’Or contender—as well as Rodrygo, Endrick, Raphinha (Barcelona), Ederson (Manchester City), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), and Alisson (Liverpool).
According to Lula, there is currently “no Garrincha or Romário” among the foreign-based players, only “many young players who aren’t stars yet.” He concluded, “There are players of equal quality in Brazil, so let’s give them the opportunities.”
As of yet, there is no word on whether Vini, Raphinha, Rodrygo and co. will indeed be exempt from joining up in the Brazilian National Team’s next training camp, but Lula’s words certainly put the question in people’s mouths as to which direction the CBF will go in the near future.
The next game for the famous yellow shirts is against Peru on October 15, which will take place at the Estadio Nacional de Brasilia Mané Garrincha. As things stand, Brazil are 4th in the qualifying group on 13 points after 9 games, while Peru sit second-bottom with just 6 points from the same number of matches played.