Ancelotti is looking for the top goalscorer: Brazil 2-0 Senegal, who unexpectedly becomes the No. 9 answer to the World Cup?

Just like Argentina's match against Angola, the Brazilian team also took advantage of the FIFA match day to compete against an African team. South American teams rarely meet such teams. This time Brazil's opponent is the Senegal team, which has always been tenacious.

On the last international match day, the Brazilian team lost 2-3 to the Japanese team, conceding 3 goals in a single game. The defense became one of the areas that Ancelotti focused on. For this reason, Ancelotti arranged for Militao, a former central defender, to serve as the right back in this game. However, Ancelotti is still looking for the ideal No. 9 player for Brazil who can start in the 2026 World Cup. The attackers selected for the friendly match roster this time have low scoring efficiency in European competitions. Palmeiras forward Vitor Roque, who is only 20 years old, is in hot form in Brazil.

【Who should become the "official" No. 9 of the World Cup for Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti? 】

Since the "phenomenal" legend Ronaldo retired from the Brazilian national team, the team has been lacking a forward with the characteristics of a top shooter. With an eye on the 2026 World Cup, Ancelotti plans to finalize his ideal center forward in the coming months.

In 2010, Dunga chose Luis Fabiano to lead the Brazilian team's striker; in 2014, Frederico Chavez Guedes (Fred), who was in good form at Fluminense, wore the yellow jersey No. 9, but failed to perform in the competition to match his worth; in 2018, Gabriel Jesus failed to win anything in the World Cup; 2022 In 2016, Risaarisson performed well in the group stage, but failed to meet expectations in the knockout rounds, and his current form continues to decline.

[List of forwards selected for the November international match day]

On the November international match day, Carlo Ancelotti called up Esteban (Chelsea), Joao Pedro (Chelsea) ), Luis Enrique (Zenit), Mateusz Cunha (Manchester United), Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Júnior (Real Madrid), Vitor Roque (Palmeiras), preparing for friendly matches against Senegal and Tunisia. Although not all of them possess the qualities of a traditional number nine, Ancelotti still hopes to find the key pieces that have been lacking in the team in recent years.

There are also some players who were not called up this time but have been favored by the Italian coach before, including Gabriel Martinelli, Rafinha, Anthony, Igor Jesus, Keio Jorge and Samuel Lino.

[Selected forwards rarely score goals in European competitions]

Among the Brazilian players recruited by Ancelotti, Vinicius Junior is the player with the most goals this season. The Real Madrid striker ranks second among the 'Galacticos' top scorers with five goals in 16 games, and has also provided nine assists.

Following Vinicius are Esteban, Joao Pedro and Rissarisson. Esteban, the 18-year-old has scored 4 goals and 1 assist in his debut season at Chelsea. Joao Pedro and Richarlison are tied with four goals each as of the November international break. Luis Enrique, who plays in the Russian League, has only scored 1 goal this season.

On the other hand, Manchester United's Mateusz Cunha and Real Madrid's Rodrygo have yet to score a goal this season.

For comparison, Harry Kane has scored 22 goals alone this season, and Harland and Mbappe have both scored 18 goals in their clubs. The three top stars in European football this season can score as many goals as all the European League forwards selected for the Brazilian team combined.

【Ancelotti praised Esteban, may he be the answer to the "unconventional No. 9"? 】

Esteban opened the scoring for the team, helping Brazil beat Senegal 2-0, which had been undefeated in 26 games. After the game, Ancelotti specifically mentioned the young forward at the press conference and spoke highly of him.

"He performed very well, and his words and deeds are completely unlike a player of this age. He is very mature. Of course, he still needs to improve, but this has nothing to do with talent - he already has the talent. The key is that he cannot be satisfied with his current achievements, because he can become even better in the future." Ancelotti analyzed.

"Esteban has amazing talent on the right. It is really surprising that such a young player can have such ability. His skills are precise and extremely lethal. With him, the future of the Brazilian team is guaranteed." Ancelotti further praised.

During Ancelotti's coaching period, Esteban scored 4 goals in just 7 games, twice as many goals as Vinicius Junior and Rodrigo. Esteban became Brazil's top scorer after the Italian coach took over. In comparison, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo scored only 2 goals each, and Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta scored 1 goal each.

[World Cup lineup inspection comes to an end]

Ancelotti has previously announced that this international match day will be his last inspection of Brazilian team players. It is expected that from March next year, the Brazilian team's World Cup lineup will be basically determined, and this starting configuration will also be the prototype of the 2026 World Cup lineup.