Pedro Morisco stunned by first Brazil call-up: “I thought it'd come later” | OneFootball

Goalkeeper Pedro Morisco admitted he was surprised by his first call-up to the Brazilian National Team. The Coritiba player told CBF TV that in 2026 he planned to gain experience during his first full season as a starter in the Brasileirão Série A and be called up “in a year or two.”

“When I found out it could happen, it was already a huge surprise for me, because it meant I had at least managed to be noticed, and that was already an achievement. I’m coming off two years in Série B, we keep fighting for certain goals and we dream, but this year I was really thinking about toughening up, still learning a lot, and maybe in a year or two getting called up. And it happened right in the first year, it was a tremendous surprise. It definitely happened at the right time, in God’s time,” he celebrated.

At 22 years old and 1.91m tall, he is part of a new generation of goalkeepers in Brazilian football. In this squad, Otávio, from Cruzeiro, 20, is another newcomer to the Seleção.

“I see that in Brazil we have the privilege of having many talented goalkeepers. In this period of renewal, I’m very happy to be among the names mentioned, and I hope over the next few years to keep producing results for my club and here as well. Brazil has produced many goalkeepers in the past and continues to have many for the future, because it has an excellent goalkeeping school,” he commented.

Pedro Morisco during warm-up with the National Team before the friendly against Australia, at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, in TownsvilleCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

For Coxa, the Curitiba native won the 2025 Série B title, has made more than 100 appearances, and is a key part of the campaign that currently has the club in ninth place in the Brasileirão. He highlighted the growth the team has shown in recent seasons, both on and off the field.

“We know how difficult it is. It’s a club that had been going through not-so-good moments in recent years, but it has always developed many players and sent many to the National Team. Not in a direct way, but by selling players early and then they later came to the National Team. In the last two years, Coritiba has been getting organized, demanding a lot from its players, and trying to grow on the national stage. (...) I owe a lot to Coritiba for being here. Without it, I would be nothing,” he said.

Among his biggest inspirations are names like Alisson, Dida, Rogério Ceni and Marcos, as well as Taffarel, the four-time world champion and goalkeeping coach with whom he has the chance to learn during this Super FIFA Date.

“The very first moment I arrived, he was already joking with me, he already broke all the ice, all that expectation. He’s an incredible human being, and I’m extremely privileged to be coached by him, to learn from him. I hope in these days we’re together to listen to as much as possible, learn as much as possible, because he is one of the biggest names in Brazil’s history and has a lot to teach me, and I have a lot to learn from him,” he celebrated the opportunity.

Gabriel Menegon, Otávio, Marquinho, Hugo Souza, Taffarel and Pedro Morisco before National Team training in BrisbaneCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

One of the newcomers to the National Team, Morisco intends to seize the opportunity if the chance comes in the friendlies against Australia and India.

“I’m someone who dedicates himself a lot, a lot, a lot, and in these 15 days that I’ll be here, I’m going to give 200%, 300% of what I can, because it’s a unique opportunity we have to leave the best impression possible. The future, we don’t control and we don’t know what happens, but we’re here in the present, we deal with today, and I hope to do my best in training and, if I get the opportunity in the games, give my 100% from the first to the last second of the match,” he concluded.

With Pedro Morisco among those called up, Brazil will have two more fixtures in this FIFA Date. On Tuesday (29), they face Australia at Suncorp Stadium at 7 a.m. Brasília time (8 p.m. local time), and on October 3, India at 11 a.m. Brasília time (7:30 p.m. local time), at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium (known as Salt Lake), in Kolkata.

Pedro Morisco during training with the Brazilian National Team in BrisbaneCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

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