Ancelotti confirms one man for the World Cup before Brazil v Croatia | OneFootball

As the spotlight begins to focus on the rosters and call-ups for each national team, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed the first name on the 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup during the press conference ahead of the friendly against Croatia.

The player in question is Danilo da Silva. The 34-year-old defender is one of the team’s leaders and is enjoying a great spell at Flamengo, where he was the hero of the 2025 Copa Libertadores final, scoring a header 22 minutes into the second half.

“He is a very important player, not only on the pitch, but also off it. He will definitely be in the final squad of 26 because I like him. His character, his personality, his style of play. He can play in every defensive position. He will be among the nine defenders,” said the Italian coach.

Danilo has already played in two World Cups with Brazil, in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Now, he will make his third consecutive appearance. However, he was not a starter in the 2-1 loss to France, where Leo Pereira and Bremer formed the central defense.

Ancelotti’s press conference also produced more striking statements in Brazilian football, specifically one referring to the country’s football culture: “Jogo bonito? The last two World Cups Brazil won came by combining talent and defense. With ‘Felipao’ (Scolari) and his three center-backs in 2002, for example, and in 1994 (Carlos Alberto) Parreira set up two banks of four to make the most of Romario up front. There is no other way than defending well. The World Cup is won by the team that concedes the fewest goals, not the one that scores the most. I don’t like being called defensive, but it is very important for the team.”

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