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The Copa America 2024 is just a week away, and the usual suspects — Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay — are among the favorites to lift the trophy next month. Brazil are one of the most storied sides in world football, with five FIFA World Cups, nine Copa Americas, and some of the greatest players ever to have graced the game. However, the Selecao have been going through some tough times lately.
Head coach Tite resigned after their penalty shootout loss against Croatia in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz have overseen a tumultuous time since. Brazil are at risk of missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup after just two wins in six qualifiers so far.
Things have somewhat stabilized since the appointment of Dorival Junior in January this year. The Selecao are unbeaten in their four matches under the former Sao Paulo manager, and have beaten England and Mexico in this period.
Dorival Junior will now have the task of dethroning Argentina as the South American champions. He will also have to contend with numerous big names missing from the squad, including Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson and talismanic forward Neymar.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer, sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October and is not expected to be back before July. Ederson sustained an eye injury in May and has also been ruled out of the Copa America 2024.
On that note, let’s take a look at the five best players left out of the Brazil squad for the Copa America 2024.
5 best players left out of Brazil squad for Copa America 2024
5. Matheus Cunha
Matheus Cunha has been one of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ shining lights since joining the Midlands club from Atletico Madrid in January 2023. In his first full season in England, Cunha registered 14 goals and eight assists in 36 games across competitions.
Among his standout moments last season was a hat-trick in a 4-2 Premier League win against Chelsea in February. Cunha has been attracting a lot of interest from top clubs, including Manchester United. However, he has said he is happy to stay at Wolves.
4. Richarlison
Richarlison made big waves at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals in four appearances, including a spectacular brace in their opening game against Serbia.
The 27-year-old registered 12 goals and four assists in 31 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur last season. While his numbers aren’t spectacular, he is a tenacious fighter, a tireless runner, and can be a menace in the final third — qualities that tend to excel in South American football.
3. Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus scored in both the semi-final against Argentina and the final against Peru in Brazil's last Copa America triumph on home soil in 2019. However, the 27-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal, starting just 21 of his 36 appearances across competitions last season (eight goals and eight assists).
Although a great player at his best, Jesus appears to be out of Dorival Junior’s plans, just as he has found himself slipping out of Mikel Arteta’s.
2. Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva has been a stalwart for Brazil over his 15-year-long international career. The former Chelsea defender has earned 113 caps — the most for a center-back in the country’s history.
Silva was a vital cog in the Selecao's squad at the 2019 Copa America as he led the side to their first major trophy since the 2007 edition. However, at 39, he finds himself pushed down the pecking order and might just be approaching the end of his international career.
1. Casemiro
Casemiro’s career has fallen off since his big-money move to Manchester United from Real Madrid in the summer of 2022. Another horror season last term, which saw the Red Devils finish eighth in the league, has further dented the 32-year-old’s reputation as a world-class defensive midfielder.
Casemiro has earned 75 caps for Brazil since his debut in 2011 and was key in the Selecao’s Copa America triumph in 2019. Last month, Dorival Junior said Casemiro “deserves a lot of respect from all of us” and that he hasn’t been ruled out for the future.
