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

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.