Carlo Ancelotti’s November Brazil Roster Is Bad News for Barcelona

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti unveiled his 26-player squad for the November international break on Thursday, confirming news every Barcelona fan has been dreading: Raphinha will join up with the Seleção in a couple of weeks.

Ancelotti made it clear he is using the final international window of the year to continue testing out young players as Brazil enters a new era following another World Cup disappointment. The Italian boss has moved on from previous pillars like Neymar and Casemiro to begin developing the next generation so the team is at its best for the 2030 World Cup.

“Right now, it’s time to observe, refresh the squad and help young players reach their full potential,” Ancelotti said on Thursday.

Barcelona fans hoped that meant Raphinha would be one of the names left off the manager’s roster in November. The winger only just returned to full fitness after suffering a hamstring injury during the September camp and surely could have used an additional two weeks to further recover.

But despite starting just two games for Barcelona since Sept. 19, Raphinha was still called up by Ancelotti for friendlies against Japan and Singapore.

Other veterans, like Alisson, were left out. “We don’t need to test Alisson. We know him very well. He is the best goalkeeper. When the Copa América begins, he will be called up, and it’s the same for the others.”

Injury Typically Follows Raphinha on International Duty

Raphinha has had a tough go in recent camps with Brazil. The last three times he was called up by Ancelotti, he returned with injuries.

During the March international break, Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for over a month. He missed crucial clashes for Barcelona during that stretch, including both legs of the Champions League quarterfinals against Atlético Madrid, a tie that ended in elimination for Hansi Flick’s men.

Then, Raphinha suffered another hamstring problem during last summer’s World Cup. The 29-year-old did not feature in the Seleção’s final three matches of the tournament.

The bad luck continued during the September-October international break. Raphinha returned early to Catalonia with another hamstring injury that kept him out of action for nearly three weeks.

Important clashes for Barcelona loom following the final window of the year, none bigger than a Champions League battle with Manchester City on Dec. 8. Plus, the Catalans cannot afford another slip-up in La Liga now that they lost El Clásico to Real Madrid last weekend, which reduced their gap atop the table to just three points.

Flick will be crossing his fingers Raphinha avoids another setback and returns to Barcelona fully fit and ready to continue his stellar start to the season.

Brazil Squad for November International Break: Full List of Players

Goalkeepers

Bento (Al-Nassr)

Lucas Perri (Torino)

Morisco (Coritiba)

Defenders

Arthur Dias (Athletico-PR)

Carlos Augusto (Inter Milan)

Douglas Santos (Zenit)

Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)

Jair Cunha (Nottingham Forest)

Jonathan Jesus (Cruzeiro)

Vanderson (Monaco)

Vitor Reis (Manchester City)

Wesley (Roma)

Midfielders

André Luiz (Corinthians)

Andrey Santos (Manchester United)

Bruno Guimarães (Arsenal)

Danilo Santos (Botafogo)

Gabriel Bontempo (Santos)

João Gomes (Aston Villa)

Marlon Gomes (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Forwards

Alisson Santana (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Allan (Manchester City)

Endrick (Real Madrid)

Estêvão (Chelsea)

Raphinha (Barcelona)

Rayan (Bournemouth)

Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)