Brazil’s footballers touch down in Singapore ahead of international friendlies

SINGAPORE – The samba stars are in town, with several players from Brazil’s 25-man squad arriving in Singapore on Nov 8 ahead of their upcoming friendlies at the National Stadium.

A group of five players who turn out for clubs in Brazil’s top-flight Brasileirao were the first to touch down in the Republic, after their flight from Dubai landed at Changi Airport at about 1.30pm on Nov 8.

The quintet are Gabriel Bontempo (Santos), Arthur Dias (Athletico Paranaense), Andre Luiz (Corinthians), Jonathan Jesus (Cruzeiro) and Pedro Morisco (Coritiba).

Dressed comfortably in casual wear, the group arrived at Terminal 1 discreetly and was promptly escorted to the coach bay.

But they obliged photo requests from two fans, who approached them as they exited the arrival hall.

One of them was Chinese national Jornin Lu, who had flown in from Shanghai on Nov 7 after learning about Brazil and Japan’s matches in the Republic.

Not knowing when the Brazilian players would arrive, the 43-year-old returned to the airport at 9am on Nov 8, hoping to catch some of them.

The accountant said: “I’m a football fan, so when I knew that Brazil and Japan, both teams that I really like, were playing in Singapore, I came here to see them.

“Technically they’re very good and when I was a young boy, the Brazil team played very well when they had players like Ronaldo, Kaka, so Iike Brazilian football very much.”

Arsenal’s Brazilian duo Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes are expected to link up with their teammates in Singapore later in the day, with the centre-back and midfielder flying in from London after the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Hull City in the Premier League on Nov 7.

The pair are among several stars who were called up by coach Carlo Ancelotti for the upcoming Mizuho Blue Challenge – The Kallang Football Series Singapore.

Also in the squad are Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, Barcelona forward Raphinha, as well as young talents such as Estevao (Chelsea) and Endrick (Real Madrid) as Ancelotti looks to build towards the future.

The Italian has leaned on youth, picking 15 players under the age of 23, with an eye on the 2028 Copa America and 2030 World Cup.

For the five-time world champion’s friendlies against Australia and India in September and October – their first matches after their disappointing World Cup campaign ended in the round of 16 – 11 players in Ancelotti’s 26-player squad were below 23.

In Singapore, Brazil take on Japan on Nov 14 in a rematch of their round-of-32 clash at the World Cup, before they play the Lions three days later.

Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing.