Taffarel praises Hugo Souza, calls Brazil debut the “right moment” | OneFootball

On the verge of fulfilling his dream of representing the Brazilian National Team for the first time, Hugo Souza has the support of one of the greatest goalkeepers in the country’s history. The CBF’s goalkeeping coach, Cláudio Taffarel, highlighted the good form of the Corinthians player and stated that the friendly against Japan, this Tuesday in Tokyo, is the right occasion for the goalkeeper to wear the Amarelinha.

“Hugo is very well prepared and has been working hard both with the National Team and at his club. He’s arrived here with a lot of enthusiasm, and that’s exactly what we want from our players — that psychological preparation as well. We want to see him on the pitch, wearing the National Team jersey. It’s a very good and fitting moment for him. I hope he does a great job, just like Bento did,” said the four-time world champion in an interview with CBF TV.

At 26, Hugo is enjoying a great phase since joining Timão, where he claimed the starting spot and became one of the pillars of the black-and-white team. Now, he’ll have the chance to defend Brazil for the first time under Carlo Ancelotti’s command, in the friendly against the Japanese, at 7:30 a.m. (Brasília time), at Ajinomoto Stadium.

Confidence in the goalkeeper trio

In addition to Hugo Souza, the National Team also has Bento and John in the position. Taffarel praised the harmony among the goalkeepers and emphasized the mutual respect within the group. The Al-Nassr goalkeeper, for example, kept a clean sheet in the match against South Korea, in Brazil’s 5-0 rout.

“We always have a very good relationship here, a frank and very direct relationship. They all know their place, their role within the group, and have a lot of respect for each other. That makes things much easier,” he highlighted.

The four-time world champion also expressed satisfaction with the arrival of John, currently at Nottingham Forest, and pointed out that Brazil is well covered in the position.

“John just arrived, we didn’t know him personally, but we were already monitoring him. He’s shown that he belongs here. Unfortunately, there’s only room for three, but the important thing is that Brazil has goalkeepers. If there’s any problem, we’ll always be well served,” he said.

Former goalkeeper recalls first match between Brazil and Japan

Taffarel was on the field for the first ever match between Brazil and Japan, played on July 23, 1989, at São Januário. On that occasion, the team led by Sebastião Lazaroni won 1-0, with a goal from Bismarck.

“I have a good memory of it. It was the beginning of my time with the Senior National Team, in a ‘strange’ friendly, so to speak, playing Japan in Brazil. Looking back now, it’s positive to be part of this National Team history and today, in another role, as a goalkeeping coach, after so many years (with the National Team). It’s very gratifying to have that memory,” he said.

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