Top News

The announcement of Brazil’s 26-player World Cup squad has delivered a painful blow to Chelsea forward Joao Pedro. The 24-year-old’s family members were visibly distraught as emotional footage of their reaction to his exclusion spread rapidly across social media platforms on Monday evening.

Star striker misses out

The Chelsea frontman emerged as one of the most surprising omissions after head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed his final squad in Rio de Janeiro. Despite Pedro’s impressive debut season in the Premier League, where he tallied 15 goals and five assists, the coach opted to include Lyon’s Endrick and Zenit’s Luiz Henrique instead. The sorrowful moment was captured live as Pedro’s family, surrounded by festive decorations in anticipation, realised his name was not among those selected.

Pedro breaks silence

Although deeply disappointed to miss out on the tournament in North America, the eight-cap international handled the situation with remarkable composure. Sharing a heartfelt message on his social media channels, Pedro wrote: “I always tried to give my best. Sadly, it wasn’t possible to achieve the dream of representing my country at a World Cup, but I remain calm and focused, as always. Joy and disappointment are both parts of football. From now on, I wish good luck to everyone who made it. I’ll be one more fan cheering for them to win the sixth title for Brazil.”

Ancelotti defends his squad choices

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti faced immediate questions from reporters about the inclusion of 34-year-old Neymar, who has not played for the national team since 2023. Addressing his selection decisions, Ancelotti explained: “Of course, we are sad for Joao Pedro. Based on his performances in Europe, he probably deserved to be here, but with full respect and consideration, we decided to go with another option. I feel very sorry for Joao Pedro and others who missed out.”

He continued, “We monitored Neymar throughout the year and noticed that in recent months he played regularly and improved his physical fitness. We believe he is an important player and will play a key role in this World Cup.”

“Our evaluation for the entire year focused primarily on physical condition. In the last matches, Neymar showed consistency. He still has time to further improve before the opening game. His experience in major tournaments and the positive influence he brings to the group are also crucial factors.”

Challenging opener ahead

Brazil, the five-time world champions, will begin their Group C campaign with a tough clash against African champions Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 13. Ancelotti’s men will then move on to face Haiti in Philadelphia and Scotland in Miami. Meanwhile, Joao Pedro will aim to recover from the disappointment and refocus ahead of Chelsea’s pre-season preparations.