"Players who play abroad are not better than those who play here (in Brazil)," Lula da Silva said in a radio interview after Brazil beat Chile 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America on October 11, thanks to goals from strikers Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique, both of whom play domestically for Botafogo.
Igor Jesus scores for Brazil
Brazilian President Lula da Silva (left) and striker Vinicius
Lula da Silva's statement is seen as having a negative view of famous Brazilian star players playing abroad such as Vinicius, Rodrygo, Endrick, Raphinha, Alisson and Ederson, among many others.
He also emphasized: "There are no real stars among these players. They are not at a level much higher than domestic players. Therefore, the Brazilian team should prioritize domestic talents rather than relying on players playing abroad."
The Brazilian president also assessed that the Brazilian national championship is "on par" with foreign leagues. He further revealed that he met with Ednaldo Rodrigues, President of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), to propose that only players playing in Brazil be selected for the national team.
"Currently, there are no Garrinchas or Romarios (Brazilian football legends) among the players playing abroad, only "many young players who are not stars yet". They are just players of equal quality in Brazil. So, give the players in Brazil a chance", Mr. Lula da Silva concluded.
The shocking proposal from Brazilian President Lula da Silva has put the future of Brazilian players playing abroad in serious doubt. This would exclude top talents such as Vinicius - a candidate for the Golden Ball - as well as Rodrygo, Endrick, Raphinha, Ederson, Gabriel Magalhaes and Alisson...
Striker Rodrygo (right) was expected in Vinicius' absence, but played poorly.
This is not the first time such a shocking proposal has been made. At the recent Copa America, the Brazilian team, which had a large number of overseas stars, performed poorly and was eliminated in the quarterfinals. At that time, fans of this country called on coach Dorival Junior to prioritize calling up more domestic players.
In the ongoing South American qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in September and October, coach Dorival Junior has called up more domestic players to the national team. At one point, this number accounted for nearly half of the Brazilian team's roster (7 to 10 players) in the October competition.
Notably, the "strange" player Igor Jesus, who was on the Brazilian national team for the first time, scored an important goal, along with Luiz Henrique's goal in the 2-1 win over Chile, helping Selecao regain all hope of competing for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, players playing abroad such as Rodrygo, Endrick, and Martinelli in the attack line all played poorly.
So far, there has been no information about players playing abroad being completely removed from the Brazilian team. However, with the current developments and the proposal from Brazilian President Lula da Silva, it shows that the CBF will certainly have new directions in the near future for the team in calling up more domestic players. Furthermore, the Brazilian team needs new, younger resources to aim for the 2026 World Cup.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xuat-hien-cau-thu-la-tong-thong-brazil-khong-muon-vinicius-endrick-hoac-rodrygo-vao-doi-tuyen-185241013091218788.htm
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