Carlo Ancelotti Names Neymar, Casemiro And Richarlison In Brazil Squad

Carlo Ancelotti is the new coach of the Brazilian national team, and he has picked some seasoned veterans including Neymar, Casemiro and Richarlison in his first provisional squad.

Brazil Veterans Could Return

Casemiro and Richarlison are set to face-off in the Europa League final this Wednesday in Bilbao, representing Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. When the club season ends only one of them will be a European champion, but both might make a shock return to the Brazilian national team.

Neither has played for Brazil in over a year. Richarlison has been burdened by injuries but has also failed to find any form when he has been fit. Meanwhile Casemiro has been much criticised during his time in Manchester and was simply not fancied by previous Brazil manager Dorival Junior.

Now, these big names are back. Richarlison is fit again and would love to replicate his form from the 2022 World Cup. Whilst Casemiro has been crucial in Manchester United’s run to the Europa League final, albeit during a very poor season for the club domestically.

Casemiro has scored five goals this campaign and of course spent the best part of his career at Real Madrid, where he crossed paths with his new national team manager Carlo Ancelotti, sharing incredible European successes and building a fantastic relationship. Casemiro would be a trusted friend to Carlo in his new role.

Neymar Is Back, Again?

The Neymar saga also continues. The superstar suffered another injury against Clube Atlético Mineiro in April during the only win of Santos’ league season so far. However he is now back in training and on Carlo Ancelotti’s first provisional squad list. Neymar was also selected to return to international duty back in March but was again sidelined by injury.

The fact that Ancelotti has included an injured Neymar in his first squad list suggests that he wants to make him a part of his 2026 World Cup plans. This may sound obvious to some, but Neymar has now spent 18 months playing next to no football and is yet to show signs of returning to the highest level.

Carlo Ancelotti will manage Brazil for the first time this June when the team takes on Ecuador and Paraguay in FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying. Reaching the World Cup now seems a formality but the real task for ‘Don Carlo’ is using the next year to make sure that he forms a team capable of competing for the trophy in the U.S.A, Mexico and Canada.

Ancelotti: The Chosen One

The Italian coach turns 66 this summer and has won the Champions League on numerous occasions with Real Madrid and AC Milan, as well as having domestic success with Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich. Ancelotti won the European Cup and many other titles as a player too, and finished third with Italy at the 1990 World Cup. Brazil is taking a risk on a foreign coach, but perhaps they are taking a risk on the best foreign coach of all time.

Various home-grown managers have either failed or not been given enough time to bring the national team success in recent years, but rest assured that if Carlo Ancelotti can bring a World Cup title to the ‘Seleção’ then he will be made an honorary citizen of this football-crazy country. A team and nation that believes their destiny is to win the World Cup every single time, hasn’t done so since 2002.

The final Brazil squad for the upcoming June internationals will be confirmed on Monday, May 26th.