5 Brazilian wildcards who could play their way into World Cup contention

By now, Luiz Felipe Scolari has already identified most of the players who – barring injury or a drastic loss of form – will represent Brazil at next summer’s World Cup. The base of the squad that performed so well at the Confederations Cup will be maintained, with Felipão thought to have 17 or 18 names in mind even at this early stage.

Yet there remain places to be won. Here are five players who could be dark horses for Scolari’s squad based on their performances in Brazil:

Marcos Rocha

While Daniel Alves is certain to be Brazil’s starting right-back, Scolari has yet to settle on a back-up. Maicon did well in the friendlies against Australia and Portugal but is a touch fragile these days, while Rafael seems destined to miss out.

Marcos Rocha of Atlético Mineiro could just crash the party. Lithe and nippy, he is an attacking full-back in the Brazilian tradition, a fact underlined by the stats: only Josué has made more than his 892 passes for the Galothis season, while 107 accurate long balls is also very impressive.

His all-action approach does have its down side, however: no team-mate has committed more fouls than his 64, and two red cards allude to his occasional rashness. Yet if Marcos can reproduce the kind of effervescent displays he did during Atlético’s Copa Libertadores run he will be hard to ignore next year.

Cícero

One of the most underrated players in the Brasileirão, Cícero has been superb for Santos this term. Capable of playing as a box-to-box midfielder or a touch further forward, he has caught the eye with his unerringly accurate long-range shooting and knack for arriving in the penalty area at just the right moment.

His ten goals make him the joint-highest-scoring midfielder in Série A, while his passing accuracy (85.5%) and long ball accuracy (83.2%) are both noteworthy. His importance to the Peixe, meanwhile, is illustrated by his six WhoScored Man of the Match awards; more than any other player in the division.

Brazil’s midfield roster is fairly busy (Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho, Hernanes and Ramires all look shoo-ins) but Cícero could sneak in as a wildcard option.

Paulo Henrique Ganso

Once considered the great white hope for Brazil’s number ten jersey, Ganso has endured a torrid couple of years, plagued by injury and low confidence. But since Muricy Ramalho returned to São Paulo the playmaker has perked up enormously, reminding fans of the talent that made him such a media darling in the first place.

While his figures are respectable (37 key passes in 24 appearances, 84% passing accuracy), they are skewed somewhat by his slow start to the season. Perhaps more revealing is that his average WhoScored rating has jumped from 6.47 to 7.38 since Ramalho took over. If Ganso can keep that kind of form up, Felipão may just take a chance.

Éverton Ribeiro

Cruzeiro coach Marcelo Oliveira has a vast number of attacking options at his disposal, but there’s little doubt that the jewel in the Raposa crown is Éverton Ribeiro. A subtle, clever attacking midfielder who operates from the right, he could profit from the stuttering form of Lucas at PSG.

The statistics attest to the threat the 24-year-old poses (52 dribbles, fouled 87 times, 7 assists) but perhaps don’t quite do him justice. If Scolari happens to stumble across one of Éverton’s myriad wondergoal compilations on YouTube, however…

Walter

Given Walter’s size, this would be the wildest wildcard of them all, but the forward’s form cannot be questioned. He has been directly involved in 18 of Goiás’ 38 goals so far this season, scoring 12 and laying on 6 more. His decision making in the attacking third is impeccable, while few players strike a football more cleanly.

True, his infamous waistline would scare off most coaches. But with Fred injured, Alexandro Pato struggling for form and Leandro Damião seemingly out of favour, there could just be a spot for him. Don’t put your house on it, but stranger things have happened.