Ancelotti picks three Xerém youngsters, Martinelli misses out | OneFootball

Coach Carlo Ancelotti announced this Monday the list of players called up to the Brazilian national team for the friendlies against France and Croatia. Among the new names is a player developed by Fluminense: center-back Roger Ibañez, currently at Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia.

The defender made his professional debut in 2018 under coach Abel Braga. He quickly stood out for Tricolor and was transferred later that year to Atalanta, in Italy. In Bergamo, he had few opportunities and ended up moving the following season to Roma, where he won the UEFA Europa Conference League.

In 2023, he accepted an offer from Al-Ahli. This is the first call-up for the defender since Carlo Ancelotti took charge of the National Team. He had not been called up for three years.

In addition to Ibañez, two other players developed at Xerém also appeared on the list: midfielder Fabinho, from Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), and forward João Pedro, from Chelsea (England).

On the other hand, midfielder Martinelli, from Fluminense, was not called up. There was an expectation for the player’s presence on the list. On Monday morning, the CBF contacted the Tricolor board to check the player’s visa status for the United States, which increased rumors about a possible call-up.

National Team Call-Ups

Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC), Bento (Al-Nassr FC), and Ederson Moraes (Fenerbahçe SK).

Defenders: Alex Sandro (CR Flamengo), Gleison Bremer (Juventus FC), Danilo (CR Flamengo), Douglas Santos (FC Zenit Saint Petersburg), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal FC), Roger Ibañez (Al-Ahli Saudi FC), Léo Pereira (CR Flamengo), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain FC), and Wesley França (AS Roma).

Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Chelsea FC), Casemiro (Manchester United FC), Danilo (Botafogo FR), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad Club), and Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray SK).

Forwards: Endrick (Olympique Lyonnais), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal FC), Igor Thiago (Brentford FC), João Pedro (Chelsea FC), Luiz Henrique (FC Zenit Saint Petersburg), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United FC), Raphinha (FC Barcelona), Rayan (AFC Bournemouth), and Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid CF).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.