Ex-Brazil striker urges Pedro call-up: “Above-average intelligence” | OneFootball

Does Pedro still have a chance of being called up for the 2026 World Cup?

The truth is that Pedro was the standout player in Flamengo’s 2-1 win over Fluminense last Sunday (12), in the 11th round of the Brasileirão. That’s because the number 9 scored both goals that earned Fla all three points. Meanwhile, former Brazil national team striker Walter Casagrande called for the number 9 to be included in the World Cup squad.

What did the former Brazil striker say?

Today I want to talk about a specific Flamengo player, the number 9, the center forward: Pedro, who, for me, has been the best active center forward for a long time now. When Pedro is fit, he has above-average football intelligence, technique, skill, he drops deep, links up play […] In the first goal against Fluminense, he showed those above-average qualities. Because he had his back to goal, there in midfield, out on the right. He had a sense of timing, space, distance from goal, Fábio’s positioning, the position of the post, and he turned and struck it precisely. And he scored the first goal in a difficult way […]

In my view, Pedro is an essential center forward in a squad going to the World Cup. Of course, Ancelotti has several doubts. He doesn’t know how many center forwards he will take, or which ones, because there are a lot of players in good form […] But maybe Pedro is the main center forward in Ancelotti’s mind. I think Ancelotti was just waiting for Pedro to recover, because the national team coach has already praised him several times in interviews.

So, if I were the Brazil coach, I would never give up having a player like Pedro in the squad. I don’t know if he should start every match, but to come on, to start in some games, to change things up, to make the team more technical, more skillful, more intelligent in football terms, you simply can’t do without a center forward like Pedro at the World Cup.

What are Pedro’s expectations regarding the World Cup?

In short, after Flamengo’s win over Fluminense, Pedro was honest about his chances of being called up for the World Cup. On that occasion, the number 9 said that he does expect to represent Brazil at the tournament.

“As for the national team, of course I expect to be there, but I don’t work with that in mind. I think about Flamengo first, because if I do well, the doors will open, God willing. I’ll keep believing until the last day, the call-up is close. There will always be hope,” he said.

What are Pedro’s chances?

It is worth noting that the Brazil national team is still looking for a center forward for the final squad announcement, which will be released on May 18. Because of this, Pedro still has a chance of playing in the World Cup. However, Flamengo’s number 9 is still competing for a spot with other names.

At the moment, Pedro is mainly competing for a place in the Brazil squad with Igor Thiago, Richarlison and Endrick. In fact, at the end of 2025, Ancelotti hinted that he would have liked to call up Flamengo’s number 9 if the player had not fractured his arm against Racing (ARG) in the Libertadores at the time.

When is the final Brazil squad announcement?

It is worth highlighting that Brazil’s official World Cup squad announcement will take place on May 18. After that, on the 25th of the same month, coach Carlo Ancelotti will begin preparing the squad. Finally, the Brazilian delegation will travel to the United States on June 1.

And in the meantime?

While the Brazil squad announcement does not arrive, Pedro remains focused on Flamengo. That’s because this Thursday (16), the Rubro-Negro side faces Independiente Medellín (COL) in the second round of the Libertadores group stage. The match kicks off at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã.

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