Breaking down Brazil's World Cup squad: From Neymar to Thiago Silva, every player at Qatar 2022

Joshua Thomas

Breaking down Brazil's World Cup squad: From Neymar to Thiago Silva, every player at Qatar 2022 image

It's just not a World Cup without Brazil and the South American giants look poised for another big tournament in Qatar after years of relative dormancy.

Tite's side arrived at the 2022 World Cup as the top-ranked team and chasing a record sixth title. And after a strong Copa America tournament last year where they reached the final, they are being ranked by many as favourites to go all the way.

Brazil won seven straight games ahead of their arrival in Qatar and as always boast a strong squad full of stars capable of lighting up the tournament. 

From Neymar to Thiago Silva, The Sporting News breaks down every player representing Brazil at the 2022 World Cup with caps and goals correct prior to the tournament starting. 

MORE: Explaining the players snubbed by Tite in Brazil's final 26-man squad

Who are the players on Brazil's 2022 World Cup squad?

BRAZIL PLAYER PROFILES:

Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards

Brazil goalkeepers

Alisson 

Age: 30 | Club: Liverpool | Caps: 56

Tite's first-choice goalkeeper, Alisson is also Brazil's most-experienced player between the sticks and should start every game in Qatar.

Ederson 

Age: 29 | Club: Manchester City | Caps: 18

Ederson is a key part of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side but is back-up in this current Brazil team and more than capable of filling in should something happen to Alisson.  

Weverton

Age: 34 | Club: Palmeiras | Caps: 11

The veteran goalkeeper will keep the other two on their toes and has spent his entire club career playing in his homeland. 

Alisson Liverpool 2020

Brazil defenders

Dani Alves

Age: 39 | Club: UNAM | Caps: 125

A surprise call-up for Brazil's World Cup campaign, the experienced right-back has enjoyed a glittering club career playing for the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and PSG. 

MORE: Why did Brazil call up 39-year-old Dani Alves?

Danilo

Age: 31 | Club: Juventus | Caps: 46

Likely to battle Alves for the starting right-back spot, Danilo is a born winner having picked up La Liga, Premier League and Serie A titles. 

Alex Sandro

Age: 31 | Club: Juventus  | Caps: 37

Another Juventus player in this Brazil squad, Sandro will provide competition for the left-back position. 

Alex Telles

Age: 29 | Club: Sevilla | Caps: 8

Despite his age, Telles has only recently broken into the national team but looks poised to feature regularly in Qatar. 

Alex Telles Brasil coletiva18032019

Bremer

Age: 25 | Club: Juventus | Caps: 1

Bremer is the third and final Juve player named in Tite's World Cup squad and is the most surprising considering his lack of international experience. 

Eder Militao

Age: 24 | Club: Real Madrid | Caps: 23

A versatile defender, Militao could prove very useful in Qatar filling in gaps when injuries strike. 

Marquinhos

Age: 28 | Club: PSG | Caps: 70

Centre-backs don't come much better than Marquinhos, who is in his prime heading to the 2022 World Cup and will be a hard man for attackers to get past. 

Thiago Silva (captain)

Age: 38 | Club: Chelsea | Caps: 108 

The heart and soul of this Brazil team, Silva is desperate to lead the side to World Cup glory in Qatar. Despite his advancing age, the Chelsea centre-back remains sharp, strong and poised for a big tournament. 

Brazil midfielders

Casemiro

Age: 30 | Club: Manchester United | Caps: 64 

After swapping Real Madrid for the Red Devils this season at club level, Casemiro will be a key pillar of Brazil's midfield in Qatar. 

Everton Ribeiro

Age: 33 | Club: Flamengo | Caps: 22

Ribeiro has been in and out of the Brazil side since 2014 but got the nod for Qatar after a strong season with Flamengo saw them win the Copa Libertadores. 

Bruno Guimaraes

Age: 24 (25 on Nov. 16) | Club: Newcastle United |  Caps: 8

The attacking midfielder has been running riot in the Premier League since the start of 2022 and is a dynamic new face in Brazil's squad. He will likely fill the void left by Philippe Coutinho. 

Bruno Guimaraes

Fabinho

Age: 29 | Club: Liverpool | Caps: 28

Poised to challenge Casemiro for the starting CDM spot, Fabinho can also fill in as a defender if needed. 

Fred

Age: 29 | Club: Manchester United | Caps: 27

Another more defensive-minded midfielder on this Brazil team, Fred and Casemiro could form a handy combination considering they both now play for the Red Devils. 

Lucas Paqueta

Age: 25 | Club: West Ham | Caps: 34

Brazil's current No. 7, Paqueta will be hoping to shine in Qatar and seems to be a firm favourite of Tite. He is notably recovering from a shoulder injury, however, so may struggle to hit the ground running at this World Cup. 

MORE: All about Brazil's Group G opponents at the World Cup

Brazil forwards

Neymar

Age: 30 | Club: PSG | Caps: 120

The superstar of this Brazil side, Neymar is also the squad's second-most capped player. After falling short in 2014 and 2018, the attacker will be hoping it's third time lucky as he chases an allusive World Cup title which would cement him as one of the game's all-time legends. 

Vinicius Junior

Age: 22 | Club: Real Madrid | Caps: 15 

Vinicius Jr. is the rising star of this team and all signs point to him shining in Qatar. If both he and Neymar can light up in the final third, Brazil will be very hard to stop.

Antony

Age: 22 | Club: Manchester United | Caps: 11 

After securing a dream move to Old Trafford in September, Antony has shown his ability at the highest level with his trickery on the ball and eye for goal making him a handful for defenders. 

Gabriel Jesus

Age: 25 | Club: Arsenal | Caps: 56

The golden boy of this Brazilian team for some time, Jesus isn't exactly a prolific goalscorer but leads the line strongly and can often play a key role in creating opportunities for his fellow forwards. 

Gabriel Martinelli

Age: 21 | Club: Arsenal | Caps: 3 

The second Gabriel in this squad and another Gunner. Martinelli has risen rapidly since joining Arsenal and shown enough in the final third to get Tite's attention. 

Gabriel Martinelli Arsenal 2019/20

Pedro

Age: 25 | Club: Flamengo | Caps: 2 

A name less familiar to those outside of Brazil, Pedro has been on fire domestically for Flamengo and scored 12 goals from 13 matches in their triumphant Copa Libertadores campaign this year. 

Raphinha

Age: 25 | Club: Barcelona | Caps: 10

Raphinha earned a move from Leeds to Barcelona over the summer as he became a certified star. While he hasn't quite hit the ground running at Camp Nou, he's still capable of adding plenty in attack for Brazil. 

Rodrygo

Age: 21 | Club: Real Madrid | Caps: 10

Somewhat in the shadow of Vinicius Jr. with both club and country, Rodrygo still has the potential to shine in the final third and has plenty of experience despite his young age. 

Richarlison

Age: 25 | Club: Tottenham | Caps: 37 

One of Brazil's most reliable goalscorers in recent years, Richarlison will do whatever it takes to get the ball in the back of the net for his team. A player that wears his heart on his sleeve and is capable of some extraordinary finishes. 

Complete Brazil World Cup squad

Position Player Club Age Caps
Goalkeeper Alisson Liverpool (ENG) 30 56
Goalkeeper Ederson Manchester City (ENG) 29 18
Goalkeeper Weverton Palmeiras (BRA) 34 11
Defender Marquinhos PSG (FRA)  28 70
Defender Eder Militao Real Madrid (SPA) 24 23
Defender Thiago Silva Chelsea (ENG) 38 108
Defender Danilo Juventus (ITA) 24 15
Defender Alex Telles Sevilla (SPA) 29 7
Defender Dani Alves Pumas UNAM (MEX) 39 125
Defender Alex Sandro Juventus (ITA) 31 37
Defender Bremer Juventus (ITA) 25 1
Midfielder Fabinho Liverpool (ENG) 28 28
Midfielder Casemiro Manchester United (ENG) 30 64
Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes Newcastle United (ENG) 24 8
Midfielder Fred Manchester United (ENG) 29 27
Midfielder Lucas Paqueta West Ham (ENG) 25 34
Midfielder Everton Ribeiro Flamengo (BRA) 33 22
Forward Gabriel Martinelli Arsenal (ENG) 21 3
Forward Vinicius Jr. Real Madrid (SPA) 22 15
Forward Neymar PSG (FRA) 30 120
Forward Antony Manchester United (ENG) 22 10
Forward Rodrygo Real Madrid (SPA) 21 6
Forward Raphinha Barcelona (SPA) 25 10
Forward Richarlison Tottenham (ENG) 25 37
Forward Pedro Flamengo (BRA) 25 2
Forward Gabriel Jesus Arsenal (ENG) 25 56

Joshua Thomas

Joshua Thomas Photo

Josh has been covering sport for nearly a decade now having fallen in love with football at a young age. A UTS graduate, Josh has previously worked for GOAL and now covers football closely for The Sporting News.