By: COLIN REESE
Proposing a 23-man roster for the Brazilian national team is all about deciding which world-class players should be eliminated in order to ensure that there are enough players of each position on the roster.
The talent pool of elite Brazilian footballers is so deep that many of the players one chooses to snub or omit are players that are more than worthy of a roster spot.
World Soccer Source selected three goalkeepers, four center backs, four outside backs, two defensive midfielders, two box-to-box midfielders, four wingers, two Number 10s, and two Number 9s or first strikers.
Selecting only 23 players for the Seleção is a difficult task, and this edition of a 23-man Brazilian roster proposal is not a prediction of the players that Felipão will select, although many of the players are likely roster locks for Felipão.
Below is World Soccer Source’s 23-man Seleção World Cup roster (The April 2014 Edition):
GOALKEEPERS: Júlio CÉSAR (Toronto FC), JEFFERSON (Botafogo), VICTOR (Atlético Mineiro).
CENTER BACKS: Thiago SILVA (Paris Saint-Germain), David LUIZ (Chelsea), DANTE (Bayern Munich), DEDÉ (Cruzeiro).
OUTSIDE BACKS: Daniel ALVES (Barcelona), MAICON (Roma), MARCELO (Real Madrid), ADRIANO (Barcelona).
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Luiz GUSTAVO (Wolfsburg), FERNANDINHO (Manchester City).
CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS: PAULINHO (Tottenham), RAMIRES (Chelsea).
WINGS: NEYMAR (Barcelona), WILLIAN (Chelsea), ROBINHO (Milan), LUCAS (Paris Saint-Germain).
PLAYMAKERS: OSCAR (Chelsea), RONALDINHO (Atlético Mineiro).
STRIKERS: FRED (Fluminense), Leandro DAMIÃO (Santos).
World Soccer Source’s Seleção XI (4-2-3-1):
Júlio CESAR; MAICON, Thiago SILVA, David LUIZ, MARCELO; Luiz GUSTAVO, PAULINHO; WILLIAN, OSCAR, NEYMAR; FRED.