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Carlo Ancelotti has brushed aside pointed complaints from Barcelona president Joan Laporta by confirming Raphinha’s place in the Brazil squad for a pair of friendlies in Asia. The call-up reopens a familiar fault line between club and country, with Barcelona uneasy about sending their forward on a punishing round trip to face Japan and the host nation in Singapore.
Raphinha only recently returned from a muscular injury picked up during the previous international break in Australia, and the round trip to Singapore stretches close to 22,000 kilometres. That logistical strain has fed anxiety inside Spotify Camp Nou, where Laporta has argued publicly that clubs are being penalised by an overloaded international calendar.
Ancelotti Stands Firm on Raphinha Selection
Ancelotti was unmoved by the noise from Barcelona. Speaking at a press conference held at the CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, the Italian asserted his authority over national team selection without hesitation.
“We maintain good relations with Brazilian clubs and with European clubs, with whom we share information about the players. In general, this relationship is good,” he said, as quoted by SPORT.
National Pride Takes Priority for Selecao
Questioned directly about pressure from European club directors, Ancelotti adopted a firmer tone. He made clear that Brazil’s needs come first during FIFA windows, regardless of what individual clubs prefer. The former Real Madrid boss is rebuilding a squad that underperformed at recent major tournaments, and he treats every international window as essential to that process.
Ancelotti did show flexibility toward domestic sides locked in a tight title race. He left out players from Flamengo and Palmeiras, but offered no such concession to clubs outside Brazil, insisting the “spine” of his team has to stay intact.
“We have no particular requests, nor do we need them. In the FIFA dates, we will call the players that we consider important for the Brazilian national team,” he explained.
“This is a sensitive moment, that’s why we’ve only called up one player per team and decided not to bring anyone from Flamengo or Palmeiras because they are fighting for the title.”
Building for a New World Cup Cycle
Raphinha’s selection fits a wider plan to blend youth with experience. The current squad includes fifteen players under 23, and Ancelotti believes a handful of established leaders must guide that generation through the transition. Raphinha sits among five players the coach views as pillars of the project.
“We have started a renewal project and now is the ideal time to do it. In September, we started evaluating younger players and now we continue doing so with these players who can be the future of the Selecao. We have made a balanced call-up, but in which there are nine players of Olympic age and up to fifteen under 23 years old,” the coach explained.
“We’ve chosen five players who were at the last World Cup and who will be important for this new cycle in which we’ll compete in the Copa America and another World Cup. These players are Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bruno Guimaraes, Vinicius Junior, and Raphinha.”
Tactical Flexibility and the Number Nine Role
Ancelotti also addressed Raphinha’s shifting role under Hansi Flick at Barcelona, where the forward has often played as a central striker rather than out wide. Pressed on whether he would replicate that setup for Brazil, Ancelotti stayed guarded about his exact plans for the Singapore friendlies.
“We have versatile forwards who can occupy various positions. I focus on what we can do and not on the quality of our opponents. We will continue playing with three midfielders and three forwards,” Ancelotti remarked.
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Brazil’s Asia trip now carries extra weight beyond the results on the pitch. Keep following TipsGG for updates as the club versus country standoff plays out and the Selecao shape their squad for the next World Cup cycle.