Jair on joy and shock at first Brazil call-up: “I was in shock” | OneFootball

Defender Jair is experiencing his first moments with Brazil’s senior national team this Monday (21). The smile on the face of someone fulfilling a childhood dream was there from the moment he arrived in Brisbane, Australia, in his first interactions with his Seleção teammates and head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

His call-up at the age of 21 brought a mix of happiness and surprise over this personal achievement. In a video posted on social media, he appears “in shock” after seeing Brazil’s coach announce his name among the 26 players selected for the friendlies against Australia and India during the FIFA international window.

“For me, it’s an immense joy. It’s a feeling I can’t even put into words. Since I was a child, I’ve always dreamed of being here. Every Brazilian player dreams of representing their country, and I’m getting that opportunity today. I’m very happy and very grateful to God,” he celebrated.

“I knew I had a chance of being called up and that I was on the preliminary list. I’ve always watched the squad announcements, I watched the World Cup squad announcement, and even when you see that you might be called up, it still doesn’t feel real. I was watching, knowing I could be called up, and hearing the senior national team coach say your name is an incredible emotion. At that moment, I was in shock. Coming from where I came from, the struggles I went through... It was a very special and very important moment in my life,” he added.

Jair during an interview with CBF TV after arriving in Brisbane for his first senior national team call-upCredits: Joilson Marconne/CBF

Inspired by names such as Lúcio and Juan, the defender wants to make the most of this period of training and commitments with the Seleção to learn from teammates Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães, both experienced with Brazil and successful in European football.

“I hope to gain as much experience as possible from them. They’re great players, there’s really nothing more to say. Both are very well established in Europe, and I’m a huge fan of them. I hope I can learn as much as possible,” he said.

Reunion with old acquaintances

In his first senior national team call-up, he will reunite with his friend Gabriel Bontempo. Developed at Santos, the defender from Orlândia, a city located more than 350 kilometers from São Paulo, lived with the midfielder, who also came through the club, when he was ten years old so he could continue playing in Santos’ youth ranks.

“My story with Bontempo is very special and very rewarding. I had the opportunity to live with him when I was 10 years old. At the time, my parents weren’t in a position to support it, and I ended up moving in with him in Santos, when we were playing together at Santos. I’m very grateful to him and his family. We lived through many important moments, and today God is honoring us—we’re here together in the senior national team. That’s very rewarding,” he recalled proudly.

In addition to Bontempo, Jair will also see Breno Bidon, Rayan and Arthur Dias again, teammates with whom he won the 2025 South American Under-20 Championship in Venezuela.

“It’s very important for us to be living this moment. It will be great to meet them again here. A year ago, we were playing in the national team youth ranks, winning a very important title, and today we’re here with the senior team, alongside great players. It’s an immense joy. I hope we can contribute a lot to the team,” he concluded.

Jair won the 2025 South American Under-20 Championship with BrazilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Jair will have the chance to make his debut for Brazil in the friendlies against Australia and India. The Seleção face Australia next Friday (25) at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville at 7 a.m. Brasília time (8 p.m. local time), and again on the 29th at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, also at 7 a.m. Brasília time (8 p.m. local time).

The match against India will be played on October 3 at 11 a.m. Brasília time (7:30 p.m. local time) at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium (known as Salt Lake) in the city of Kolkata.

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