Qatar 2022: Why is Gabriel Barbosa not playing for Brazil in the FIFA World Cup?

The FIFA World Cup starts even before the first game is played. Finding out who are the players that will be representing each country surges as a very important part of the process. Especially in powerful squads like Brazil, the discussion usually turns to which are the missing pieces as Gabriel Barbosa is in Qatar 2022.

Brazilian head coach Tite has already submitted his 26-man list full of world class stars. However, there are always names that could have been a part of it that didn’t make the cut. One example of that would be Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino being left out of the team.

But he is not the only striker that won’t be in the tournament. The list has plenty of talented attackers, though it’s certainly worth noting that Barbosa is not in it. Here you can find out why the Flamengo scorer wasn’t included by the coach.

Why is Gabigol missing the Qatar 2022 World Cup?

Brazil have been known for their skilled players since the beginning of the sport. Attackers with plenty of talent are something common throughout their history, so it’s not that rare when one of them doesn’t make the squad. Gabriel Barbosa had a tough competition, and he wasn’t Tite’s choice despite he shined for Flamengo in their Copa Libertadores title.

Gabigol even scored the game-winner in the final over Athletico Paranaense, though he had an uphill battle to make the team. Playing in South America was probably not helpful, since there were other options in better leagues such as PSG’s Neymar, Real Madrid’s Vinicius and Rodrygo, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesús and Gabriel Martinelli, Tottenham’s Richarlison, Manchester United’s Antony, and Barcelona’s Raphinha.

What is curious about his case is the unusual number of attacking options that the list had. The other interesting detail points to the ninth player not mentioned above. That’s no other than Pedro, his teammate on El Fla. He was the top scorer of their recent title run with 12 goals, so it shouldn’t be shocking Tite preferred him over Barbosa this time.

Using this World Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.