Real Madrid forward’s spot in national team squad for World Cup under serious threat | OneFootball

The past few months have been very difficult for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo Goes. The 24-year-old attacker saw his prominence in the team wane gradually in the final days of Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure, with the decline continuing under Xabi Alonso.

As such, rumours of a summer exit were rife in the past weeks but, in the end, nothing materialised, and Rodrygo has remained at Real Madrid, where opportunities will not come his way easily.

Meanwhile, the forward was also omitted from the Brazil squad for their ongoing FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia by Ancelotti.

World Cup spot under threat

And, with youngsters like Estevao Willian and Luiz Henrique stepping up for Brazil in his absence, Rodrygo is facing a serious threat of not making it to the squad for the World Cup next year, reports Joaquim Piera of SPORT.

During Brazil’s recent win over Chile, both Estevao and Luiz Henrique starred on the right flank. The Chelsea wonderkid scored the first goal for his team before the Zenit St. Petersburg ace set up Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes for the second and third goals.

In danger of missing the World Cup. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

Following the match, both the players earned a lot of praise from Ancelotti, with the duo staking a claim for more involvement with the Selecao moving forward.

Warning for Rodrygo

This development could serve as a major warning for Rodrygo, who had already been sent a message by Ancelotti with the exclusion from the squad.

When asked why he had opted against calling the Real Madrid star up for the matches, the Italian tactician had said:

“They perfectly know the idea of the national team. They have to play and be in good physical condition. If they want explanations, they can call me. I think Rodrygo has my number, I don’t know if Neymar does, but he probably does.”

The right-wing position is set to be overcrowded as Raphinha, after operating as a creative midfielder recently, is expected to return to his natural role while Estevao and Luiz Henrique are also making a strong push.

So, the ongoing season becomes extremely important for Rodrygo at Real Madrid if he wishes to secure his spot in the Brazil squad for the World Cup in 2026.