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Brazil’s Best Football Players

Brazil at the World Cup

Brazil has won 5 World Cup titles, more than any nation in the world, and has a great history in the competition. Many legendary players have worn the Brazilian shirt and represented their country in this competition. Although there have been players who stood out among the others, Brazil has never been short of great players. When they won the World Cups in 1958, 1962, and 1970, they had players such as Pele, Carlos Alberto, Garrincha, Jairzinho, among others. Brazil then had another golden generation in the 90s and early 2000s, when the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robert Carlos, Cafu, Rivaldo, Dunga, and others played in the squad.

Brazilian Team

For the 2022 World Cup, Brazil's 26 man squad consists of 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 6 midfielders, and 9 attacking players. Tite, the head coach of Brazil, took over in 2016. He replaced Dunga as manager and has guided the team to a Copa America title in 2019 and a Superclasico de las Americas title in 2018.

Goalkeepers

Brazil has the option of playing Alisson, Weverton, or Ederson in goal. Alisson is the first choice goalkeeper, and he has been capped for Brazil 57 times. In club football, Alisson is the primary keeper for Liverpool, where he has won the Premier League and Champions League. Ederson is a close second choice, as the keeper plays for Liverpool's arch rivals, Manchester City. He has won 4 Premier League titles with Manchester City. Weverton is the only Brazilian goalkeeper who plays in the domestic league, and he is the main keeper of Palmeiras.

Defenders

Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Eder Militao, and Bremer are all centre backs, whil Danilo and Dani Alves are right backs, Alex Telles and Alex Sandro are both left backs. Thiago Silva and Dani Alves are the oldest defenders, aged 38 and 39 years old respectively. Silva is the captain of the Brazilian team and though he lacks the speed to compete against younger players, he does bring a lot of experience to the defence. Both Silva and Alves have great positioning and they can keep the defence composed. Marquinhos, Eder Militao, and Bremer are all younger and faster centre backs. If any of these players are picked to play alongside Silva, they can help mark the faster attacking players. If Brazil plays with a high defensive line, then they will need a faster defender to track back in case of a contra attack. On the flanks, they can use Danilo and Alex Sandro, who both play for Juventus at club level.

Midfielders

Casemiro and Fabinho are defensive midfielders who can drop back and also contribute to the attack. They are both experienced players, though perhaps Casemiro may be picked ahead of Fabinho because he has been capped for Brazil more times. Fred, Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta and Everton Ribeiro are all midfielders who can play defensively and join the attack. Lucas Paqueta and Everton Ribeiro are slightly more inclined to attack then defend. The two can play further up the field, behind the striking force, and additionally, Ribeiro can be deployed as a winger. Fred is an extremely versatile player who can provide shots and crosses, but he also has the ability to cover the flank he is nearest to, to allow the right back or left back to run further up the field and provide crosses. Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes are the youngest midfielders, both aged 25 years old. Guimaraes has been capped the least among the midfielders, but he is an exciting player to watch. Coincidentally, all of the Brazilian midfielders play in the Premier League.

Attackers

Brazil' attack force has plenty of exciting players who will threaten any opponent's defence. Neymar plays mainly as a left winger, but he can be deployed in any attacking position. They also have Rodrygo, Raphinha, Antony, Gabriel Martinelli, and Vinicius Jr who play on the right or left wing. Pedro, Gabriel Jesus, and Richarlison are all central strikers. Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus both play in the Premier League and both had high profile transfers in the summer. Gabriel Jesus experienced a rebirth in his career when he transferred to Arsenal. He has scored plenty of goals for the team and he is definitely a contender for the golden boot. Antony and Raphinha also had big transfers during the summer, with Antony moving to Manchester United and Raphinha moving to Barcelona. Although both wingers have shown a lot of prowess in their new sides, Vinicius Jr will probably play ahead of them on the right wing. Vinicius Jr plays for Real Madrid, as does Rodrygo, and there he has established himself as a highly prolific attacking player.