The President of Brazil calls not to invite Neymar, Vinicius and other stars from abroad to the team

Yesterday, on October 11th, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a surprising statement about his desire to exclude footballers playing abroad from the national team, asserting that there are "no stars" outside of Brazil.

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Details: During his address, Lula da Silva revealed that he recently met with Alejandro Domínguez, the Paraguayan president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), and raised the possibility of only calling up players who play within Brazil for the national team.

This would mean the exclusion of high-profile players like Neymar, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Éder Militão, Ederson, Raphinha, and others.

According to Lula da Silva, the current squad lacks the presence of legends like Garrincha or Romário, and those playing abroad are simply "a bunch of young people who are not yet at the level." The president, a known supporter of Corinthians São Paulo, often comments on sporting matters during interviews. Recently, he has harshly criticized both his favorite team, currently in the relegation zone, and the national team for their underwhelming performances.

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Quote: "Brazil has good players at the same level [as those playing abroad], so give opportunities to those who are here," Lula suggested.

Reminder: In Brazil’s recent World Cup 2026 Qualifier against Chile, ten of the starting players were based overseas, all representing clubs in Europe's top five leagues. Of the five substitutes, three also hailed from European clubs.

Lula's comments may have been spurred by the fact that Brazil only managed a comeback victory thanks to goals from Igor Jesus and Luiz Henrique, both of whom play for Brazilian side Botafogo.

In total, six of the 23 players called up for the match against Chile were from Brazilian clubs.