Braziltopia

Carlo Ancelotti named his first Brazil squad since the World Cup on Wednesday, opening the cycle toward the 2030 tournament with eight uncapped players among the 26 called up for friendlies against Australia and India. The list, released at 3 pm in Brasilia, delivers the renewal the Italian coach promised after Brazil fell in the round of 16 at this year's World Cup.The tour starts in Oceania. Brazil meet Australia on September 25 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, then face the same opponent on the 29th at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The trip ends in India: on October 3, at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, the senior national teams of the two countries meet for the first time in history.The newcomersEight players could win their first senior caps: goalkeepers Pedro Morisco of Coritiba and Otávio of Cruzeiro; centre-backs Arthur Dias of Athletico Paranaense and Jair Cunha of Nottingham; full-backs Matheuzinho of Corinthians and Mauro Júnior of PSV; and midfielders Breno Bidon of Corinthians and Gabriel Bontempo of Santos.Nine men survived from the group eliminated in the round of 16: Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães, Douglas Santos, Bruno Guimarães, Danilo, Raphinha, Rayan, Endrick and Vinícius Júnior. The attack adds Estêvão, João Pedro, Pedro and Samuel Lino, while Hugo Souza, Douglas Luiz, Andrey Santos, Wesley and Victor Reis complete the squad. According to Folha de S.Paulo, the average age dropped from 28.5 to 24 compared with the World Cup group, and ten of the 26 play in Brazil, with Corinthians the best-represented club at three call-ups.The tactical readNone of the eight newcomers is a forward. Ancelotti refreshed goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders, and kept the front line with Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Endrick and Rayan, the four attackers who went to the World Cup. In plain terms, the Italian sees defense and midfield as the construction sites of the new cycle, and the attack as the sector that needs the fewest repairs.Speaking after the announcement, Ancelotti stressed that this is a period of observation and that experienced players left out can still return. "We have to prioritize young players who will be the right age for the next World Cup or the next Copa America," he said."It is a balanced list, with players who were at the World Cup. It will be important for the next generation. We have young players with the quality to represent the future of the national team in the coming years. And we also have players who are playing very well in the Brazilian championship."

Argentina has lost its greatest player. Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the national team on Monday (31), closing a run of 20 years, 207 matches and 125 goals. The decision came six weeks after the 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final on July 19.Messi broke the news in a letter posted on his social media. According to Folha de S.Paulo, he wrote the text on July 21, two days after the final. "It was a decision that hurt and still hurts my soul, but I understand this is the moment," he wrote, adding: "I gave everything of myself. I have nothing left to offer."In the letter, Messi pointed to a new generation of "great kids" who deserve their chance with the team and thanked fans for two decades of support. He said he will miss hearing his countrymen from the pitch and promised to become "just another" supporter of the Albiceleste, as the Argentine squad is known, watching from outside the field. "It was crazy to live all of this with you," he wrote.The numbers of an eraAccording to ge, the sports outlet of Brazil's Globo group, Messi leaves the national team with 125 goals in 207 matches, 21 of them in World Cups. His trophy shelf holds one World Cup (2022), two Copa America titles (2021 and 2024), the Finalissima (2022), the intercontinental clash between the champions of South America and Europe, Olympic gold (2008) and an Under-20 World Cup (2005). At the 2026 World Cup, aged 39, he scored eight goals and set up four more.On the pitch, his exit forces Argentina to redesign its attack. Messi used to drop between the lines to receive facing goal and then choose between shooting or serving his teammates, playing striker and playmaker in one shirt. No player in the current squad combines both roles at that level, so the rebuild will likely be a collective one.Tributes arrive at onceThe first to speak out was Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's teammate at both Inter Miami and the national team."Just thank you, the greatest of all time. Thank you for making us so, so happy. You cannot imagine how many smiles you brought. You are eternal," De Paul wrote.Argentine newspaper Ole printed "Thank you Lionel Andres Messi. Thank you so much for everything" across its pages, while broadcaster TyC Sports called the farewell a global bombshell. Giuliano Simeone, who played the 2026 World Cup alongside the number 10, shared a video tracing Messi's journey with the national team.The announcement ended weeks of uncertainty. About three weeks earlier, in an emotional farewell letter to his father and agent Jorge Messi, who died in early August aged 68, the striker had already said he had "many doubts" about playing football for much longer. "I do not know what I will do without you. I do not know how to go on," he wrote at the time, according to Folha.