Roberto Firmino left out of Brazil's World Cup 2022 squad

Tite has named his 26-man squad without the Liverpool man among those selected

Posted Tuesday, November 08, 2022 by fourfourtwo.com

Roberto Firmino has not been selected to play for Brazil at World Cup 2022, with manager Tite opting for other players in his 26-man Brazil World Cup squad over the Liverpool forward.

The Brazilian has scored eight goals and assisted a further four times in 19 appearances across all competitions so far this season, but he still hasn't performed well enough to earn a place in the squad, deems Tite.

Instead, he has selected Neymar, Arsenal duo Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, Raphinha, Antony, Richarlison and Real Madrid youngsters Vinicius Jr Rodrygo as his attacking options in Qatar. Flamengo's Pedro has also earned a surprise call up for the squad, the 25-year-old having made just two appearances for Brazil so far.

However, Firmino's lack of selection might not come as much of a surprise. Firmino's last goal for his country came in June 2021, during the Copa America, and, despite being called up to play in September's friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia, he hasn't made the final 26-man squad.

Firmino has made 55 appearances for Brazil during his career, scoring 17 goals during that time. Despite playing in four of the country's five games at the last World Cup, though, Firmino didn't actually start a game. He did score late on against Mexico, but hasn't done enough since to stake a claim for another shot in the squad.

His Liverpool teammates Fabinho and Alisson have been selected, with both likely to feature heavily for Brazil as they target winning their first World Cup in 20 years.

Brazil begin their World Cup campaign in Qatar on Thursday 24 November against Serbia, and are among the favourites to lift the trophy come the end of the tournament. They will also need to navigate past Switzerland and Cameroon in order to make it out of Group G.

Former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho has also not been selected for Brazil's World Cup squad. Coutinho was an important player in 2018, scoring two times. However, he has lost his way since joining Barcelona later that year, and is currently struggling at Aston Villa.