Yan Couto is unavailable for the Brazilian national team for the upcoming doubleheader of the South American Qualifiers, and in his place, William has been called up. The right-back from Cruzeiro will thus join the squad for the matches against Ecuador on September 6 in Curitiba, and against Paraguay four days later in Asunción.
“We had a clinical issue with the player Yan, from Borussia Dortmund, which is why we are calling up William,” explained Dorival Júnior in a video released by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). The coach did not provide details about the type of injury affecting the player, who has just joined the German team after a successful stint with Girona in Spain.
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“William is in the national team! Congratulations and good luck, you have truly earned this call-up!” celebrated Cruzeiro upon hearing the news. This is the first call-up for the 29-year-old full-back to the senior national team, having been part of the U-23 squad that won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The last time Cruzeiro had a player in the Seleção was six years ago. In October 2018, then-coach Tite called up center-back Dedé and goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão, now at Santos, for friendlies against Uruguay and Cameroon.
The match against Uruguay ended 1-0 for the five-time champions with a penalty goal from Neymar in the 76th minute, and the clash against the African side also ended 1-0 thanks to a goal from Richarlison. Neither Dedé nor Brazão played in either match.
It remains to be seen if William will get on the field. The right-back’s first option is Danilo, a player from Juventus and captain during the 2024 Copa América.
