Marcal makes
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Marcal believes he is good enough to be starting for Brazil’s star-studded national team.
Marcal– who was allowed to leave Wolves after falling behind Jonny Castro Otto and Rayan Ait-Nouri in the pecking order – joined Brazilian club Botafogo on a free transfer in the summer. He’s featured nine times in the Brazilian Championship and scored a screamer against Fortaleza recently.
The 33-year-old left-back’s confidence has soared to such an extent that he has claimed he is worthy of a Brazil call-up. Marcal insists he would bring the necessary balance to Brazil’s left side behind attacking talents Neymar and Vinicius Jr.
Marcal said: “Looking at the current scenario, not only of the players in the Brasileirão (Brazilian Championship), but also in the world, I would make the Brazilian team play better on the left side.
“I always dreamed of the Brazilian team,” said Marcal. “One of the conversations I had here at home, when the possibility of returning to Brazil arose, was to have greater visibility. I know the team’s style well because, regardless of the schedule, I always watch the games and I think I fit in well.
“Here at Botafogo we have Jeffinho on the left side, who is in the same style as Neymar and Vinícius and I can make this type of player work. Back there, the national team doesn’t need a player to do as much as Marcelo once did, today they need more security and good ball output, it’s more my style. You can’t say if there’s a better one than me, they’re different styles, but looking at the world stage I see myself as a better fit for this team.”
Marcal also admitted during the interview with Globo Esporte that one of the reasons behind his return to Brazil was to put him in the spotlight for a call-up. He left his homeland in 2010 to pursue a career in Europe, where he played in Portugal, Turkey and France before joining Wolves two years ago.
[Source: birminghammail.co.uk]