There might not be a position in on the planet that comes with more pressure bestowed upon it than being Brazil’s starting striker at the World Cup, and despite the Selecao’s opening game against Morocco being less than a week away, there is still a debate over who Carlo Ancelotti will select in New Jersey – especially after he chose to omit presumed starter, Chelsea’s Joao Pedro, from his final squad.
Matheus Cunha has been bestowed the No.9 shirt for the tournament and, after starting up front in the friendly win over Panama, is regarded as the frontrunner. However, the Manchester United forward has just one international goal to his name from 13 appearances, while his versatility in being able to play out wide or even as No.10 mean he is not regarded as a natural fit by some.
A player who would fit that bill is Igor Thiago, who came out of almost nowhere to force his way into Ancelotti’s squad following a remarkable season for Brentford. Only Erling Haaland scored more Premier League goals than the 22 Thiago managed this past campaign, and he has netted twice in his first four Brazil outings. There are questions over his all-round game, but there is no doubt that Thiago knows where the goal is.
The third candidate is the player many expected to have already established themselves as the starting No.9 by now when they first broke onto the scene two years ago: Endrick. However, after struggling for opportunities at Real Madrid, ‘the new Pele’ fell out of favour with the national team, and without his restorative loan spell at Lyon during the second half of the 2025-26 season, as well as injuries to other attackers, Endrick might not have made it back into Ancelotti’s thinking.
He is in the squad, however, and has impressed upon his return. In just a 13-minute cameo against Croatia in April, Endrick won a penalty and provided an assist to help secure victory, before, on Saturday, he netted his first international goal for almost two years to earn a win over Egypt. But has the 19-year-old done enough to force his way into the starting line up? We will know on Saturday…
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