Lula wishes Brazil good luck

Brasilia, November 8 (PL)-- Brazil's president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, today wished good luck to the national soccer team at the World Cup in Qatar, where it will seek its sixth title in this type of event.

"An embrace for the little fan.  Good luck to those called up by (coach Adenor Leonardo Bachi) Tite in the cup," Lula wrote on the social network Twitter as he alluded to a video in which a child comments to a reporter that Lula will be the scorer of the team, which will debut on November 24 against Serbia in Group G.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar Jr. and veteran Dany Alves headline Brazil's squad, which is favored alongside France for the global showdown.

In Tite's 26-man roster, Roberto Firmino is conspicuous by his absence. The injured Philippe Coutinho was not called up either.

The striker Vinícius Jr. of Spanish club Real Madrid, voted eighth best player in the world this year by the Ballon d'Or award and who will play his first cup, stands out in the roster.

Another surprise addition was striker Gabriel Martinelli, from English club Arsenal, who will take the place of winger Coutinho.

Neymar Jr. at the age of 30 will attend his third World Cup, after Brazil-2014 and Russia-2018.

In the case of Alves, 39, a member of Mexico's Pumas, he was left out of the call-up for the friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia, the last ones before the World Cup, scheduled to start on November 20.

For Tite, "Daniel Alves' criterion rewards individual technical quality, physical and mental aspects".

After the opener against Serbia, the Canarinha will face Switzerland on the 28th and Cameroon on December 2.