Marcos Antônio eyed by Brazil coach, call-up hopes rise | OneFootball

Marcos Antônio, a major highlight for São Paulo at the start of this season, may have his last chance to vie for a spot in this year's World Cup. The midfielder had high expectations in the last call-up for the Brazilian National Team, where he was on Carlo Ancelotti's preliminary list, but ended up getting injured and missing out on the Italian coach's call.

The last call-up for Brazil's observation friendlies will be on March 16. The national team will face France and Croatia on the 26th and 31st of the next month, respectively. And São Paulo's number 8 is on the radar.

Former defender Juan, now the technical coordinator of the Brazilian National Team, was present at Couto Pereira, in Curitiba, on the night of Wednesday (25th), to watch the match between Tricolor and Coritiba, for the Brasileirão, when Hernán Crespo sent the reserves onto the field in the 1-0 victory.

According to ESPN, Marcos Antônio was one of the main names to be observed by Juan for the national team.

The São Paulo midfielder started on the bench but 'got lucky' having to come on for the second half, replacing the yellow-carded Djhordney. In the 45 minutes he was on the field, Marcos distributed 41 passes with 39 completions, suffered a foul, and recovered four balls for the team. He was crucial in improving Tricolor to secure the victory.

This season, the midfielder has already played 12 matches for São Paulo, with one assist recorded. But he has been the team's main highlight, making the team rotate and function with precise passes and eye-catching launches.

Ancelotti has already indicated that the national group is not yet fully closed and will use these two friendlies against strong European teams to resolve his final doubts. The final call-up for the 2026 World Cup will be on May 19, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

Marcos Antônio is competing for a reserve spot behind the indisputable Bruno Guimarães, who currently forms Brazil's midfield alongside Casemiro. However, the Newcastle midfielder suffered a muscle injury in his left thigh and will not be able to play in the March friendlies. Thus, the São Paulo player may get his chance to prove himself and, who knows, compete for a place in the much-dreamed-of World Cup.

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