Brazil coach Tite included 39-year-old defender Daniel Alves while leaving out Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino as the five-times champions prepare for the tournament starting on November 20.
Brazil’s 26-man World Cup roster, which was announced by coach Tite on Monday, has Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino but not 39-year-old defender Daniel Alves.
Alves, who left Barcelona at the end of the previous campaign, traveled to Mexico in an effort to continue his ambition of representing Brazil, the five-time World Cup champion, in his fourth World Cup.
But in September, when he played his final match with Pumas, he suffered a knee injury that has bothered him ever since.
Over the past few weeks, Alves has been working on his recuperation with the Barcelona academy’s medical and technical personnel.
At a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil team doctor Fabio Mahseredjian stated, “We have been closely monitoring his rehabilitation and all the data that we have from Barcelona doctors show that he is fit to play.”
Alves’ lengthy association with Brazil and demonstrated leadership abilities in the locker room, in Tite’s opinion, were helpful but not the primary factors in his selection to the team.
He adds excellent technical and tactical elements and is a good organizer and articulator, according to Tite. He no longer plays at 60 to 70 meters, but he still has other strengths.
“The criteria not only recognizes his technical excellence but also his mental and physical attributes.”
Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal is one of nine forwards on a list that has 12 players from the English Premier League.
Firmino, 31, didn’t make the team because of the emergence of a new generation of attacking players like Martinelli, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Raphinha, Gabriel, and Pedro.
Philippe Coutinho, an offensive midfielder for Aston Villa, was also left off the list due to a thigh injury he suffered over the weekend in training. He will be out for a few weeks.
Bremer from Juventus, Marquinhos from Paris St. Germain, Thiago Silva from Chelsea, and Eder Militao from Real Madrid will all represent Brazil at center back. Roger Ibanez from AS Roma, Lucas Verissimo from Benfica, and Gabriel Magalhaes will not (Arsenal).
Ricardo Gomes, a former PSG manager, was also named Tite’s assistant, according to the Brazilian FA.
Brazil will undergo a five-day training camp at Juventus’ training facilities in Turin before taking off for Doha on November 19. The team and Tite will meet there on November 14.
On November 24, Brazil plays Serbia in Qatar to start its World Cup campaign. Switzerland and Cameroon are the other teams in Group G.
