Fred asks why Bruno Henrique was never a Brazil regular; absence debated | OneFootball

Fred Bruno and commentator Rafael debated the topic after the number 27 scored in the win over Corinthians

Bruno Henrique was decisive once again for Flamengo, scoring the winning goal against Corinthians last Sunday (13). However, the number 27 has never been a unanimous choice for the Brazilian National Team, despite a string of strong performances since 2019. As a result, the topic became a debate between host Fred Bruno and former full-back Rafael, now a football commentator, on the ‘Panela SporTV’ program.

THE DEBATE

“One thing that catches my attention, and it’s not that simple, is Bruno Henrique’s consistency. For how many years has Bruno Henrique been deciding games for Flamengo? And yet, I remember very few moments when he was considered for the Brazilian National Team. He’s a player with several very important qualities — he finishes well, rises brilliantly in the air, has a great header, is fast, even now at 35 years old, tracks back, always plays his game — but he was never a unanimous pick with everyone calling for him to be in the national team. Why?” Fred Bruno asked.

“Yeah, I don’t know why. That’s always a very difficult question to answer. (…) I don’t think he (Bruno Henrique) has a place in the National Team today, but he did a long time ago. Since 2019, we can say — since 2019 Bruno Henrique has been ‘the player’ for Flamengo, along with several others. For a long time now. And still, as Fred said, he was never a unanimous choice for the national team. He had some chance. If I’m not mistaken, there weren’t that many either,” replied former full-back Rafael.

“It really is difficult, but Bruno Henrique, for everything he has already done, man… Since he returned to Brazil and at Flamengo, in this case, I think he deserved more chances, to be looked at more,” Rafael added.

BRUNO HENRIQUE’S ONLY CALL-UP TO THE NATIONAL TEAM

Bruno Henrique was called up to the Brazilian National Team in August 2019 by then-head coach Tite. The forward took the field on September 6 of that year in a 2-2 draw against Colombia. On that occasion, he replaced Philippe Coutinho in the final minutes of the match.

Since then, despite his run of decisive goals and titles with Flamengo, the number 27 has not received another significant call-up. As such, the 2019 episode remains the forward’s main stint with the national team.

RAFAEL SAYS BRUNO HENRIQUE IS UNDERRATED

“And so, when we look at Bruno Henrique now, I think, honestly, not by Flamengo fans — I think few of them underestimate him — but even by the press. Bruno Henrique is a little underrated, okay? I think he is, like… Sometimes people forget… It’s Pedro, people talk a lot about Pedro, right? We forget how important Bruno Henrique is to Flamengo, and how he is being important now, and was in the past too, right?” said the commentator.

BRUNO HENRIQUE AVAILABLE FOR THE MATCH AGAINST DEL VALLE

With Bruno Henrique available, Flamengo will face Independiente del Valle (ECU) this Thursday (17). A place in the Libertadores semifinals is at stake. Kickoff is at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at the Maracanã.

Flamengo hold a 2-0 advantage built in the first leg in Ecuador. That means the Rio de Janeiro side can even lose by one goal and still advance to the next round. However, the team takes the field focused on securing qualification in regular time.

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