Brazil called up Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior on Saturday to play the next matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela after the forward suffered a muscle tear at the end of August.
The Brazilian coach, Fernando Diniz, He emphasized in a press conference that Vinícius, whose absence is expected to last six weeks, is “a great opponent in world football” and did not mention the injury.
Vinícius will share the attacking spotlight with Neymarof Saudi Al-Hilal, which the coach said he hopes will “still write the best page in the history of football.”
One of the few new features of the call is the inclusion of the midfielder Gerson, Flamengo player, who the coach praised for his persistence.
Aside from Gerson, Diniz kept the squad mostly intact last month in an effort to gain “consistency.” “With fewer player changes, there’s a greater chance that understanding will advance more quickly,” he said.
Without Endrick, Roque or Antony
There are no great promises in Brazil like the forwards appearing on the squad list Endrick, from Palmeiras and already acquired by Real Madrid, and Vítor Roque, who will join FC Barcelona in January after being injured at Athletico Paranaense.
He is not called either Anthony, Manchester United player, after being investigated in Brazil due to a complaint filed by his ex-partner for domestic violence.
The ‘canarinha’ will face Venezuela on October 12 in the Brazilian city of Cuiabá and Uruguay on the 17th in Montevideo.
In the first two games of the World Cup qualifiers, the Brazilian team won by a landslide against Bolivia (5-1) and, more modestly, against Peru (0-1), with Brazil leading the qualifying group.
The coach estimated that in the two games there were “more positive points than negative points” and emphasized that the defense against Peru was “impeccable”, although he admitted that he would have liked to make changes to the lineup earlier in that game.
List of Brazil
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City), Lucas Perri (Botafogo).
Defenders: Bremer (Juventus), Marquinhos (PSG), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Nino (Fluminense), Danilo (Juventus), Vanderson (Monaco), Caio Henrique (Monaco), Renan Lodi (Marseille).
Midfielders: André (Fluminense), Casemiro (Manchester United), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo), Raphael Veiga (Palmeiras).
Forwards: Neymar (Al-Hilal), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinícius Junior (Real Madrid), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Richarlison (Tottenham), Raphinha (Barcelona), Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton).
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
