Paraguay boss questions Maurício in Brazil squad: ‘Starts for Palmeiras?’

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·29 June 2026

Paraguay boss questions Maurício in Brazil squad: ‘Starts for Palmeiras?’

The 2026 World Cup has entered its decisive stage. Five of the seven Palmeiras players called up will compete in the knockout rounds. Only Uruguay, featuring Piquerez and Emiliano Martínez, was eliminated after a group-stage exit alongside Spain, Cape Verde, and Saudi Arabia.

Maurício in the starting lineup?

One of Paraguay’s standout players at the World Cup, midfielder Maurício was the main focus of a press conference held by Gustavo Alfaro, the Argentine coach in charge of La Albirroja. The author of one of Paraguay’s goals in the tournament, the Palmeiras player still does not have a guaranteed place in the starting team.

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Asked about the Brazilian’s lack of opportunities — he became a naturalized Paraguayan at the start of 2026 — the coach questioned Maurício’s starting status at Palmeiras itself, directing the question to captain Gustavo Gómez.

Is Maurício a starter at Palmeiras? Ask the captain (Gustavo Gómez), because he’s here… Is Maurício a starter? No, Ramón Sosa is the starter. Maurício is a talent, of course, but remember that many people questioned me when I wanted to call him up because he is Brazilian. A lot of people questioned it.

In addition, Alfaro pointed out that Maurício is an excellent player to bring on when the opponent is already more tired, making him a good weapon for the second half.

When Maurício has the ability and consistency to perform throughout the full 90 minutes, he will be a starter. Right now, he performs better for us when the rival drops in physical intensity. For me, he would be the ideal player, but sometimes a few things are missing. It’s not just about putting a player on the field; we have to know how to complement him, give him what he needs. Football is attack and defense, high balls and low balls. I could play Julio (Enciso) as a 9 and Maurício behind him, no problem. But then how do I deal with marking Germany’s 1.95m-tall guys? So we have a lot of things to sort out. Don’t worry. Football is all about details, and I have to think about all of them. And even when I think about every detail, sometimes it still goes the other way. After all, football is like that.

Verdão at the World Cup

Palmeiras has seven players called up for the World Cup: Mauricio, Gustavo Gómez, and Ramón Sosa for Paraguay; Flaco López for Argentina; Emiliano Martínez and Joaquin Piquerez for Uruguay; and Jhon Arias for Colombia.

For Uruguay, Emiliano and Piquerez have already said goodbye to the biggest competition in world football.

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