After cruising through the treacherous realm of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with only one defeat from 18 matches, it should come as no surprise that Brazil manager Tite has named a largely expected 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.
Brazil, a 4-1 favorite for the World Cup, has been dealt a significant injury blow with its opening match against Switzerland only 37 days away.
Names of Brazilian soccer stars can be confusing. Because the Portuguese naming tradition uses four names, players are typically given nicknames or go by their first name. That’s why there are three Freds who have played abroad. But one name may sound immediately familiar and yet strangely alien at the same time — Ronaldão.
In one of the ultimate glamor ties of European club football, it was Real Madrid left back Marcelo who emerged as Wednesday’s Man of the Match in his side’s 2-1 away leg victory over Bayern Munich.
The 29-year-old Brazilian’s day got off to a flyer when opposition winger Arjen Robben was forced off with an injury as early as the 8th minute. The introduction of Thiago Alcantara as his replacement immediately shifted Bayern’s focus to the middle of the park and allowed Marcelo more freedom to get forward on the wing.
When putting together this list of the world’s most stacked teams at every position, two things really stood out to me: Spain is really good at football, and watching Argentina play (Messi not included) really should be a much more joyful exercise.
Brazilian club Corinthians debuted a major innovation in their match against Fluminese — their sponsor on the front of the Corinthians jersey would be revealed by the players sweating on the field. It is a pretty neat and interesting way for a sponsor to be shown off to the rest of the world.