Why Ibanez, relentless in RSL, deserves place in Brazil's World Cup plans
Why Ibanez, relentless in RSL, deserves place in Brazil's World Cup plans Every time a footballer is called up to their national team, it is a proud moment - for the player, for his friends and, especially, for his family. But there is also pride at his or her club, and the league in which they play. It’s a kind of validation that it's capable of housing, and developing, prime international players.
That's what makes Roger Ibanez’s inclusion in the current Brazil squad so unmistakably significant. The Al Ahli defender may have previous experience with the Selecao having made his international debut in 2022 against Tunisia while playing in Italy for AS Roma. But he last featured for Brazil the following year.
That was back in September 2023, barely weeks after signing for Al Ahli. Despite a lead role in his club capturing a historic AFC Champions League Elite crown and last summer's Saudi Super Cup , Ibanez has been absent for almost his entire time in Saudi Arabia. All that changed this month, however, when Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti could no longer ignore the 27-year-old's standout form for the Asian champions , rewarding the all-action centre-back with a call-up for the upcoming friendlies against France and Croatia in the United States.
The first of those twin tests takes place early on Friday morning Saudi time. Ibanez, though, wasn’t the only Roshn Saudi League star brought into this Brazil squad, either: Al Ittihad title-winner, and now captain, Fabinho and Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento are also part of the 26, making it three Saudi-based players in the same group for the very first time. Brazil, of course, are rightly feted in international football given the record five-time world champions’ stature and impact on the game globally.
Thus, the significance of a footballer getting recognised after so long based entirely on their form in the RSL wasn’t lost on anyone - least of all Ibanez himself. “We always dream of, and work towards, being here, representing the Brazilian national team, and that’s what I thought about most when I ended up going to Saudi Arabia,” he said this week in an interview with the Brazilian Football Confederation. “I thought I’d drift away from it a bit, but I believe that if we work hard, if we give it our all on the pitch, the rewards [will) come].
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