Brazilian President Lula calls for home talent, says 'no' to reliance on players with ovearseas bases

Declaring that "there are no stars" playing abroad, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva supported the decision to exclude players with overseas bases from the national squad. Lula said that players playing overseas are not superior to those who are playing in Brazil during a radio appearance on Friday. A day prior, the 'Canarinha' defeated Chile 1-2 in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match, courtesy of goals from Rio de Janeiro's Botafogo players Luiz Henrique and Igor Jesus. 

Following their latest meeting, the President advocated calling up only players who are based in Brazil to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Alejandro Domínguez, a Paraguayan. This would entail leaving out well-known players from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, such as Raphinha, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Militao, and Endrick. The topic that has received the greatest attention is Vinicius Jr.'s performance for Brazil. The 24-year-old has always been the subject of criticism since it seems like he never steps up for the national team.

Vinicius Jr. struggles to keep his form with Brazil team

Real Madrid's most important player, Vinicius, has a great influence whenever he plays because of his dribbling, quickness, and goal-scoring ability. However, we see a very different person almost a shadow of the player we know when he plays for Brazil. When he plays for the club and the national team, his position also changes. At Los Blancos, the forward is allowed to move about the attacking line, but on the national team, he functions more like an orthodox forward, wide on the left.

According to Lula, there isn’t any "Garrincha or Romário" playing for foreign clubs at the moment; just a lot of young talents who have yet to become stars themselves. He suggested, "There are good players in Brazil of the same quality (as those abroad), so let’s give opportunities to those who are here."

The five-time world champions Brazil now have 13 points, which puts them in fourth place on the rankings, while Chile is still in ninth place with 5 points, outside of the qualifying spots.