Matheuzinho on Brazil debut and club pressure: ‘Far bigger burden’ | OneFootball

Matheuzinho is experiencing the opening chapters of his journey with Brazil’s senior national team. Called up for the first time, the Corinthians right-back made his debut in Brazil’s 1-1 draw against Australia in Brisbane and gave a positive assessment of his performance. The player also revealed how nervous he was before coming on and compared the pressure of playing for the Seleção with what he had already experienced representing Corinthians and Flamengo.

In an interview with ESPN, Matheuzinho said he took a safer approach in his first opportunity. According to the full-back, the anxiety eased as the match went on, allowing him to feel more comfortable on the pitch.

Photo: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

“I think I had a very solid game (against Australia). Since it was my debut, I tried to do what was necessary to help the team. Of course, a huge weight comes off your shoulders when the game starts. Once you understand what it’s like, you start to loosen up more. Individually, I was happy with my performance. I know I can offer much more, but considering what the game was asking for at that moment and the fact that it was my debut, I think I played a very good match. I was satisfied and happy,” he said.

Support before his national team debut

The preparation for his first match was not limited to the work done on the pitch. Matheuzinho revealed that he spoke with the Brazil national team psychologist before his debut, mainly because of the anxiety involved in the moment.

The full-back also said that the presence of his Corinthians teammates Hugo Souza and Breno Bidon made his adaptation easier. The three black-and-white players were called up for the same period with the national team.

“The psychologist here came to talk to me before my debut. After all, it’s a debut for the Brazil national team, so you get very anxious, very nervous. She came to ask me what I thought of the environment. I think having Hugo (Souza) and Breno (Bidon) together with me already helps ease things, and knowing some of the guys outside the national team also makes it a bit more calming. Even so, I still had butterflies in my stomach. But it’s a super light, really nice environment, and I was very well received by everyone,” he said.

Matheuzinho compares the pressure of the national team with Corinthians and Flamengo

Before joining Corinthians, Matheuzinho played for Flamengo. His experience at both clubs put him in touch with highly demanding environments, but in the full-back’s view, wearing the Brazil shirt represents an even greater responsibility.

“It’s very specific work. I’ve already been at Flamengo, and now I’m at Corinthians, which are the two biggest fan bases in Brazil. But the pressure of coming here and representing Brazil is different. I think it’s much greater pressure, a much greater responsibility,” he said.

However, the player himself sees his history at both clubs as preparation for handling pressure better. Matheuzinho believes he has gained more experience to deal with high-pressure situations, although he acknowledges that nerves are still present in a moment like a national team debut.

“Of course, because of the experience of playing in front of the two biggest fan bases in Brazil, you build thicker skin to come here and know how to handle things a little better when you’re playing, but the nerves still hit. You have to prepare mentally, you have to be ready. But I think the most important thing is knowing that you’re here for a reason, right? Because you’re capable.”

He then highlighted the importance of staying focused on football and not letting outside opinions interfere with the experience of representing the national team.

“So I think one tip is to come here, try to stay as calm as possible and just focus on football, forget about the outside noise, because if you keep thinking too much about the outside, worrying about what people will think, what others are thinking, you end up not enjoying football,” he added.

Players sparked curiosity before the call-up

His first spell with the national team also gave Matheuzinho the chance to spend time every day with players he had only followed from afar. Asked which teammates had sparked the most curiosity before he joined up, the Corinthians player mentioned Gabriel Magalhães, Raphinha and Marquinhos.

Matheuzinho even revealed that he had already been in touch with Gabriel Magalhães on social media before sharing the national team environment with the defender.

“I’ve known some of the national team players for quite a while. I hadn’t had the privilege of playing with them before, but one guy I had even talked to on Instagram beforehand was (Gabriel) Magalhães, he’s someone I follow quite a lot too. And Raphinha, I think he’s been having excellent seasons with Barcelona. I could name several, but I think Magalhães, Raphinha and Marquinhos were the three I was eager to find out what they were like on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Full-back comments on criticism and activities off the pitch

Matheuzinho was also asked about the attention he receives because of his statements and business activities carried out alongside his career. The full-back admitted that criticism increases during periods of below-par performances, but said he is able to keep the different areas of his life separate.

“Man, there is, there is, there is (people who come after me). When things unfortunately aren’t going well, people get on your back. But I think if I got into this, it’s because I know what I’m getting myself into. I know how to separate the ‘business’ side, the outside part, and the professional side, which is my career.”

The player added that football remains his priority and explained that he has a team to manage his exposure off the pitch according to whatever moment he is experiencing professionally.

“I’ll always put my career first, always. I know that if the moment I’m going through at the club isn’t good, I’m not going to do anything that takes the focus away from the club, you know? I have a media team that works with me, so we’re always talking to figure out the right timing for everything,” he concluded.

After his debut, Matheuzinho remains available for the Brazil national team for the rest of this FIFA international window. The period marks the Corinthians right-back’s first experience with the senior team and an opportunity to earn more space after his first minutes wearing the famous yellow shirt.

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