Ancelotti Calls Up Vinícius For Friendlies Amid Madrid Drama

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti isn’t worried about Vinícius Júnior following the forward’s recent outburst over being substituted at Real Madrid. The Brazil international apologised to his Madrid teammates for creating a scene after being replaced in the 2-1 win over Barcelona on 26 October.

The incident was of little concern to Ancelotti, as the former Madrid manager announced his Brazil squad yesterday for two friendlies in November. “We have a good rapport with Vinícius, just as we have with other players,” Ancelotti said. “I have spoken to Vinícius about it; I told him what I thought — that he made a mistake. He understood he had made a mistake and he apologised. I believe the issue is resolved. He is a very important player for us and can help us a lot.”

Ancelotti named Vinícius in his squad for the upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia. Brazil will take on Senegal on 15 November at London’s Emirates Stadium and face Tunisia on 18 November in Lille’s Decathlon Stadium. Flamengo defender Danilo and Palmeiras forward Vitor Roque, who will face each other in the Copa Libertadores final on 29 November, were among seven domestically-based players included in the roster.

“We’ve called up players who I think can help the Brazilian national team in these two games,” Ancelotti said. “Players from Flamengo and Roque from Palmeiras, who is doing very well.” Brazil’s all-time leading scorer Neymar, who returned to play for Santos at the weekend after 48 days sidelined with a muscular injury, has not made the squad. “I haven’t spoken to Neymar,” Ancelotti said. “We will see when he can fully recover and play again.”

Brazil head into their final two games of the year looking to make amends for their surprising 3-2 defeat to Japan in a friendly in October. “In the last two games, we made changes to the team to test some players,” Ancelotti said. “I believe the tests we have done have gone well because we have been able to evaluate some players we didn’t know well.”

Brazil team coordinator Rodrigo Caetano confirmed that the national team will play two friendlies in March 2026 in the United States against two European teams yet to be confirmed.

**Full Brazil squad:**

Goalkeepers: Éderson (Fenerbahçe), Bento (Al Nassr), Hugo Souza (Corinthians).

Defenders: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Caio Henrique (Monaco), Danilo (Flamengo), Éder Militão (Real Madrid), Fabrício Bruno (Cruzeiro), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Luciano Juba (Bahia), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Paulo Henrique (Vasco), Wesley (Roma).

Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham).

Forwards: Estêvão (Chelsea), João Pedro (Chelsea), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Richarlison (Tottenham), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Vitor Roque (Palmeiras).