Highlights
- Brazil’s current squad is dripping with world-class stars including Vinicius Jr, Rodryo and Alisson Becker.
- Selecao going into the summer looking for a first Copa America since 2019.
- Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel and Bruno Guimaraes also make the top 15 list.
Brazil is, perhaps, the most football-obsessed nation on earth. While financial, infrastructural, and environmental factors prevent the wide-spread participation of 11-a-side amateur football up and down South America’s most populated nation, Brazilian natives are forced to find creative ways to enjoy the beautiful game.
Selecao have won the FIFA World Cup on five occasions, more than any other nation, and has developed a plethora of world-class talents who’ve dominated the South American, European, and the international game across history, including the legendary Pele, the step-over king, Ronaldo Nazario, and the former Ballon d’Or winner, Kaka.
Despite not winning a World Cup since 2002, there is no shortage of current superstars in the Brazilian national team as head coach Dorival Junior looks to inspire his side to Copa America glory this summer in the USA. To do that he’ll need to rely on many of the players in the list below as GIVEMESPORT examine who are the best Brazilian players right now.
3:23
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Ranking factors
- Current form
- Career reputation
- Goals
- Assists
- Technical brilliance
|
Top 15 Brazil players today |
Club |
International Caps |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Vinicius Jr |
Real Madrid |
30 |
|
2. Alisson Becker |
Liverpool |
65 |
|
3. Rodrygo |
Real Madrid |
23 |
|
4. Neymar Jr |
Al-Hilal |
128 |
|
5. Marquinhos |
PSG |
85 |
|
6. Eder Militao |
Real Madrid |
31 |
|
7. Ederson |
Manchester City |
25 |
|
8. Endrick |
Real Madrid |
6 |
|
9. Gabriel |
Arsenal |
6 |
|
10. Bruno Guimeraes |
Newcastle United |
22 |
|
11. Gabriel Martinelli |
Arsenal |
11 |
|
12. Bremer |
Juventus |
5 |
|
13. Gabriel Jesus |
Arsenal |
64 |
|
14. Raphinha |
Barcelona |
23 |
|
15. Douglas Luiz |
Aston Villa |
15 |
15 Douglas Luiz
Stunning season at Aston Villa attracting interest
Douglas Luiz has enjoyed a remarkable season with Aston Villa, anchoring Unai Emery’s squad with skill and purpose as the midlands club qualified for the Champions League for the first time. Luiz was bought by Manchester City from Vasco de Gama before making the switch to Villa Park in 2019 where he has been a model of consistency over the last four years. His performances haven’t gone unnoticed by the national team as he made Brazil’s Copa America 2024 squad, and clubs around Europe too, attracting interest from the likes of Juventus.
|
Douglas Luiz’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
15 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
14 Raphinha
Barcelona’s winger looking to make impression at Copa America
Few players make the leap from the now Championship club, Leeds United, to one of the world’s most prestigious clubs, Barcelona, but that is exactly what Raphinha did in the summer of 2022. The forward produced a goal contribution every 67 minutes during Barcelona’s Champions League campaign last season, alerting the interest of Newcastle United and Arsenal.
Despite not hitting the ground running at Barca, Raphinha remains Brazil’s preferred choice on the right-hand side of their attack and the 27-year-old will be looking to build on his 23 international caps at the Copa America.
|
Raphina’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
23 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Assists |
6 |
13 Gabriel Jesus
The skilful forward aiming to bounce back from injury-hit season
Gabriel Jesus’ dribbling skills, link-up play and control are among some of the best attackers in the world and he’s demonstrated that time and time again for both club and country. After winning a host of trophies for Manchester City following his move from Palmeiras, the Brazilian moved to Arsenal in 2022 and was an integral part of the club’s title challenge in 2022-23.
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Despite question marks around his Jesus’ finishing skills, the forward embodies the Brazilian samba style in his play and has an impressive four Premier League titles to his name. An injury blighted campaign in 2023-24 denied him of a spot in the 2023-24 Copa America squad but the forward will be looking to bounce back in 2024-25.
|
Gabriel Jesus’ Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
64 |
|
Goals |
19 |
|
Assists |
13 |
12 Gleison Bremer
The centre-back is one of the best in the business
Gleison Bremer, 27, only made his international debut in 2022, having spent much of his early career going unnoticed in the Serie A with Torino. However, since the defender’s summer 2021 move to Juventus, many in the football world have begun to take notice of Bremer, who is considered among Manchester United’s top transfer targets to rebuild their leaky defence. Bremer, a late bloomer on the world stage, is sure to keep building on his already strong reputation in the coming years.
|
Bremer’s Brazil career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
11 Gabriel Martinelli
Martinelli’s electric pace is devastating.
It can be easy to forget that Gabriel Martinelli, who already has 48 Premier League goals to his name, is still only 22. The Brazil and Arsenal forwards’ electric pace, strength, and ruthless ability inside the opposition’s penalty box has made him one of the most feared attackers in the league.
Martinelli, whose direct approach feels slightly reminiscent of a young Cristiano Ronaldo, feels destined for a long career at the top level. Bizarrely, the young forward hasn’t had a sustained run of games for the national team yet; but a call-up to the national team for Copa America and a goal in the warm-up game against Mexico give the winger a chance to showcase his talents once more.
10 Bruno Guimaraes
Newcastle are facing a losing battle to keep their star man this summer
Bruno Guimaraes has been among the top performing midfielders in the Premier League over the last couple of seasons. Newcastle United’s man has great positional awareness, is strong defensively and accomplished on the ball, which is why Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is so desperate to add the Brazilian to his midfield for the 2024-2025 season.
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During 2024, Guimaraes has established himself as Brazil’s predominant holding midfielder and the 26-year-old is considered one of the hottest prospects in world football.
|
Bruno Guimaraes’ Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
5 |
9 Gabriel Magalhaes
Arsenal’s rock at the back is growing from strength to strength.
When a player of Gabriel’s impeccable standards is not considered among the three or four best players in a country, you know you’re dealing with one of the elite football nations. Gabriel has partnered French defender, William Saliba, in a simply outstanding Arsenal defence over the past couple of seasons. Gabriel has achieved an impressive 47 Premier League clean sheets in 132 appearances for the North London club and is pushing Brazil’s elite centre-backs for a regular spot in the national team.
|
Gabriel’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
6 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
0 |
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8 Endrick
The teenage sensation tipped for legend status
Much is still unknown about the most exciting teenage talent coming out of Brazil, Endrick. The striker’s posture, physical appearance, and eye for goal have drawn comparisons to the country’s legendary goalscorer, Pele. Those are some big shoes to fill.
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Brazil sensation Endrick scored his first international goal against England, and is set to take the step up when he moves to Real Madrid.
So far, Endrick, who has been tipped for greatness since his early teens, has made a seamless transition into men’s professional football. The striker has already recorded an impressive three goals in six Brazil appearances and will make the move to Spanish giants Real Madrid later this summer. Whether or not Endrick is a player who will go down in the legend books remains to be seen, but Brazilian natives have incredibly high expectations of the 17-year-old star.
|
Endrick’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
6 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
1 |
7 Ederson
The ball-playing goalkeeper has had an incredible career
Goalkeepers haven’t always been allowed to play with the creativity and freedom synonymous with Brazilian outfield players. But as more emphasis has been placed on the goalkeeper’s involvement in build-up play in recent years, it’s no surprise to see a Brazilian among the very best at distributing the ball through opposition forward lines into midfield.
Ederson’s composure, passing, and, let’s not forget, elite shot-stopping skills have been pivotal in the six Premier League titles Manchester City have won since the Brazilian signed for Pep Guardiola’s side back in 2017.
|
Ederson’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
25 |
|
Clean sheets |
11 |
6 Eder Militao
The 26-year-old has already won the Champions League twice
Though Eder Militao endured an injury-plagued 2023-2024 campaign, the Brazilian centre-back is still among the nation’s very best footballing talents. The former Sao Paulo and Porto defender signed for Real Madrid in 2019 for a fee of £42 million and has already gone on to become one of his generation’s most successful players.
Militao has played pivotal roles in the three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies Real Madrid have won since his 2019 signing and has been Brazil’s first-choice centre-back when not battling injury.
|
Eder Militao’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
31 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Assists |
0 |
5 Marquinhos
PSG man the best of Brazil’s extensive list of elite centre-backs
Marquinhos has been an absolute rock at the back for Brazil ever since making his debut back in 2013. The centre-back helped Selecao win the Copa America in 2019 and bagged an Olympic gold medal when his country hosted the competition in Rio back in 2016.
Marquinhos embodies the modern defender; he’s physically strong, intelligent, and more than comfortable stepping out of defence with the ball to start attacks in the opposition’s half. For his club, PSG, he has made more than 440 appearances since moving from Roma in 2013 and is now captain of the Parisians.
|
Marquinhos’ Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
85 |
|
Goals |
7 |
|
Assists |
4 |
4 Neymar
Superstar hoping to return to Brazil national squad after serious injury
Neymar was not one of the top-performing Brazilians during the 2023-2024 season. The era-defining winger disappointed some of his supporters by opting for an early move away from elite-level football, to join Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal. But there are few, or perhaps only Argentina’s Lionel Messi, active footballers who are capable of manipulating defenders, controlling the ball, and producing moments of wonder in the way that Neymar is capable of.
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Although the winger is likely to retire with just a single Champions League medal and hasn’t been able to deliver the World Cup back to his expectant national team fans, there are only a handful of players more technically brilliant than Neymar to ever play the beautiful game.
|
Neymar’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
128 |
|
Goals |
79 |
|
Assists |
30 |
3 Rodrygo
Despite his tender age, Rodrygo, 23, has been playing with the weight of Real Madrid supporter expectations on his shoulders for years. The winger signed for the 15-time Champions League winners in 2019, after completing a £40 million move from his home club, Santos.
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Rodrygo has consistently performed at elite standards demanded at the Bernabeu and the pacey Brazilian winger already has two Champions League titles to his name. With Real Madrid’s recent signings of Kylian Mbappe and Brazil teammate, Endrick, likely to start in the Spanish club’s front line next season, speculation is growing that Rodrygo could make the move to one of the Premier League’s elite clubs this summer.
|
Rodrygo’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
23 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Assists |
1 |
2 Alisson Becker
Liverpool’s reliable shot-stopper remains one of the best in the world
There have been few better goalkeepers in world football than Alisson Becker over the last 10 years. The stopper, who signed for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp in 2018, was described as “the one who made everything possible” by former assistant coach, Pep Lijnders.
During the 263 competitive games Alisson has played for the Anfield club, the keeper has kept an incredible 86 clean sheets and saved Liverpool’s blushes on countless occasions. The 28-year-old’s goalkeeping competence can be highlighted further by learning Alisson has made 63 caps for Brazil’s national team, despite having to fight for a place in the team with world-class Manchester City rival, Ederson.
|
Alisson Becker’s Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
63 |
|
Clean Sheets |
40 |
1 Vinicius Jr.
Brazil’s best player is among the favourites for the Ballon d’Or
While Vinicius Jr. has been regarded as one of the best young talents on the planet for several years now, Real Madrid’s electric winger took his game up to another level during the 2023-2024 season and is among the favourites to be awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or trophy at the end of the year.
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The Brazilian has come a long way since, winning the Champions League with Los Blancos twice.
Vinicius Jr. has ridiculous pace; the winger slows down as he approaches a defender before coming into life and accelerating past the opposition player, who often remains rooted to the spot. The Brazil winger is clinical in front of goal, having notched 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games as Real Madrid went on to win a La Liga and Champions League double.
|
Vinicius’ Brazil Career |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
30 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
5 |
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and are correct as of 17.06.24
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