Carlo Ancelotti shocked many when he announced his second squad list as Brazil’s manager on Monday, notably, without any Real Madrid players included.
The absences of recently injured Éder Militão and the currently injured Endrick explain themselves. However, it’s the exclusion of wing-twins Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo that raised plenty of eyebrows.
Both Brazilians were on the pitch in Real Madrid’s 3–0 victory vs. Real Oviedo over the weekend, so Ancelotti couldn’t use injuries as an excuse for their omission from his 23-man squad. Speaking to the media on Monday, the Italian manager revealed his thinking behind leaving out the talented pair.
“The idea I have is to meet new players that I currently don’t know that well on a personal level,” Ancelotti said. ”I want to get to know other players that can help the national team to good things.”
Ancelotti made nine changes to the squad he selected for his debut as Brazil’s manager back in June. Vinícius’s absence can also be explained because he picked up a suspension in Brazil’s last game that will sideline him for its next match.
Rodrygo’s absence is perhaps more telling considering he also didn’t feature in Ancelotti’s first call-up with Brazil. However, the Italian offered insight on his decision to once again leave Rodrygo out of his squad.
“I have a lot of love for him [Rodrygo] obviously,” the Italian insisted. “Yesterday he played very well for Real Madrid. It was his first game in a long time. Now he has time to prepare himself well to return to the national team. The physical is a very important criterion. A national team player must be at 100% physically.”
Speaking of players who failed to make the list due to physical concerns, Neymar Jr. was also absent from Brazil’s squad. La Seleçao’s all time leading goalscorer hasn’t featured for his country since tearing his ACL in a 2023 World Cup qualifier match. Though he won’t make his much awaited return yet, Ancelotti already knows what Neymar can offer.
“Neymar isn’t included because he had a small problem this past week. Plus, we don’t have to test him. Everyone knows Neymar, the whole national team, all Brazilian fans know Neymar very well. Neymar, like all the rest, must get to a good physical condition to help the national team.”
When asked if he had talked to either Rodrygo or Neymar regarding them being left out of the squad, Ancelotti said he hadn’t, adding that if they wanted any explanation they could call him.
Brazil have already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. La Seleçao will host Chile on Sept. 4 before visiting Bolivia on Sept. 9 to finish their Conmebol World Cup qualifiers journey.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Carlo Ancelotti Explains Shock Real Madrid Snubs for Brazil World Cup Qualifiers.