Nottingham Forest defender Jair Cunha has now joined up with Brazil for the first time, and revealed just how much his call-up caught him by surprise.
The 21-year-old arrived in Brisbane on Monday and met Carlo Ancelotti and his new international teammates.
His selection was announced earlier this month, but the Brazilian FA have now shared more from Jair about what happened behind the scenes.
He knew he was on Ancelotti’s preliminary list. That meant he sat down to watch the squad announcement knowing his name could actually come up.
“I knew I had a chance of being called up and that I was on the preliminary list,” he said.
“I’ve always watched the squad announcements. I watched the World Cup squad announcement, and when you’re watching knowing you could be called up, it doesn’t really sink in.”
“I was watching, knowing I could be called up, and seeing the Brazil manager say your name is a huge emotion. At that moment, I was in shock.”
“Coming from where I came from, the struggles I’ve been through… It was a very special and very important moment in my life.”
| Every Nottingham Forest signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Delap | Chelsea | £50m |
| Ousmane Diomande | Sporting CP | £34.3m |
| Daniel Muñoz | Crystal Palace | £22 m |
| Steven Benda | Feyenoord | Free Transfer |
| Xaver Schlager | RB Leipzig | Free Transfer |
| Gustavo Sá | Famalicão | Undisclosed |
Forest man wants to learn from Arsenal star
Jair Cunha has gone from starting the season with Nottingham Forest to suddenly sharing a Brazil squad with some of Europe’s most established defenders. That isn’t lost on him.
The centre-back grew up looking up to former Brazil defenders Lúcio and Juan. Now he wants to use this camp to learn from Marquinhos and Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães.
“I hope to get as much experience as possible from them. They’re great players, there’s not even much I need to say.”
“They’re both very established in Europe and I’m a big fan of them. I hope I can learn as much as possible.”
For Jair, being there still means plenty.
“For me, it’s an immense happiness. It’s a feeling I can’t even put into words.”
“Since I was a child, I’ve always dreamed of being here. Every Brazilian player dreams of representing his country and I’m getting that opportunity today. I’m very happy and very grateful to God.”
For the Forest defender, that’s quite a lot to take in. A few weeks ago he was watching Ancelotti read out the squad and wondering whether his name would come. Now he’s in Australia training alongside players he has spent years watching.
