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Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called on his nation to only utilize the players who ply their trade in the country, which could be bad news for the likes of Vinicius Junior. Most of the Selecao's top stars play for top clubs in Europe and if Lula da Silva's suggestions are accepted, they could all be banned from playing for the five-time World Cup winners.
Brazil are currently in the thick of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign but have not been in the best form. They currently sit fourth in the table with 13 points in nine games and find themselves behind Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay.
Dorival Junior's side suffered a disappointing Copa America quarter-final exit against Uruguay and recently lost against Paraguay. Under such circumstances, the country's president Lula da Silva has called for a bizarre ban for players based outside the nation.
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In a radio interview, Da Silva claimed that he has gotten in touch with the head of the Brazil Football Federation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, urging him to pick only domestic players. He insisted that players based in Europe are no better than the ones playing in Brazil. Da Silva said, as quoted by The Mirror:
"Those who are abroad are not better than those here. In Brazil, there are good players of the same quality (as those abroad), so give opportunities to those who are here."
He further added that the current crop of Brazilian players are not anywhere close to the likes of 'Garrincha or Romario'. He also labelled those players as 'just a bunch of young players who are not yet stars.'
Brazil have plenty of talented players plying their trade in Europe with Vinicius Junior being arguably the cream of the crop. The 24-year-old is the frontrunner to win the Ballon d'Or award following a phenomenal season with Real Madrid where they won both La Liga and the Champions League.
Apart from Vinicius, Real Madrid also have Rodrygo and Endrick in their ranks while Barcelona have Raphinha. Alisson Becker, Ederson, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bruno Guimaraes are some of the Brazilian stars playing in the Premier League.
Barcelona star picks his 2024 Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior
Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi has named Manchester City star and Spain teammate Rodri as his favorite to win the Ballon d'Or. He also named Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal as two strong candidates for the biggest individual award in world football.
Cubarsi, who is making waves for Barcelona at the age of just 17, said, as quoted by Barca Universal:
“The Ballon d’Or is between Rodri, Carvajal and Vinicius; I would like Rodri to win it."
Vinicius Junior is the outright favorite to win the Ballon d'Or following a phenomenal season for Real Madrid last time out. He scored 24 goals and produced 11 assists in 39 appearances across competitions.
However, Rodri has also emerged as a strong candidate after helping Spain win the UEFA European championship. The Spaniard also played a key role in helping Manchester City secure their fourth successive Premier League title last season.
