Ivana Fuso on choosing Brazil and her 2027 World Cup dream | OneFootball

Called up for the Brazilian Women’s National Team training camp held in Itu, Ivana Fuso wore the yellow jersey again after about three years. The Corinthians full-back took part in the sessions led by Arthur Elias alongside six other club teammates and spoke about her return to the national team, the decision to represent Brazil even though she was eligible to play for other national teams, and her hopes of remaining in the cycle for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

At first, the player celebrated the opportunity to return to the Brazilian National Team and explained that a series of injuries and a lack of playing time during her spell in English football made further call-ups difficult.

Photos: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Agência Corinthians

“I was very happy to come back, because it had been a long time. It was a dream of mine to return and make the most of the opportunities. That was my focus, a dream I had deep inside me. I wasn’t called up earlier because of injuries and other things that happened in England, where I wasn’t playing regularly.”

Born in Germany to a Brazilian mother and an Italian father, Ivana had the possibility of representing three national teams. After coming through all the German youth levels, the player explained why she chose to represent Brazil at senior level.

“I was born in Germany, my mother is Brazilian, my father is Italian; my mother is from Bahia and my father is from Sicily. It’s quite a mix, right? I can play for Brazil, Germany, and Italy. Today, I hold dual citizenship: Brazilian and German. I went through the entire youth system with the German national team, from U-15 to U-20, including the World Cup and the European Championship. I was captain there.

Then I was called up to the senior team during Pia (Sundhage)’s time. That was my first call-up to the Brazilian National Team, for the SheBelieves Cup. I played friendlies and she kept calling me up. I never imagined I would play for Brazil, because I spent my entire youth career with the German national team.

The opportunity came up in Brazil, to play for Corinthians, and I wanted to return to the national team, whether German or Brazilian, but my heart leans more toward Brazil than Germany. Since I wasn’t playing regularly abroad, I ended up coming here. It was a dream of mine to come back.”

During the training camp, Ivana trained alongside Nicole, Ana Morganti, Ana Vitória, Andressa Alves, Jaqueline, and Jhonson. According to the full-back, the experience was important for gaining an even better understanding of the national team’s style of play and building a closer relationship with Arthur Elias.

“Today I’m playing as a full-back at Corinthians, a very different position from my natural one, which is forward. This training call-up is really nice for understanding Brazil’s style of play, getting to know it, and being closer to Arthur and the players who could be at next year’s World Cup. At the club, we mark zonally, we don’t stay in one-on-one duels following the opposing player. Physically, we have to be strong.”

The player also spoke about the traits she has developed throughout her career, highlighting the influence of German football and Brazilian football on her style of play.

“I’ve become half German, half Brazilian. From Germany, I bring tactical discipline, quick play, fewer touches on the ball, one-twos, through balls, and reading the game. Here in Brazil, it’s more technical, with the importance of one-on-one play as a full-back. But when I used to play as a number 10, I also really liked one-on-one situations.”

After her time with the Brazilian National Team, Ivana has already returned to Corinthians for the women’s team’s midseason training period. The squad led by Emily Lima continues preparing for the resumption of competitions after the break for the Men’s World Cup. The team’s next official match is scheduled for July 17 against Ferroviária at Fazendinha, in the fourth round of the Paulista Women’s Championship.

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