BRAZIL head into the World Cup boasting one of the most frightening attacks in international football, but their most important player is in the middle of the park.
They have , who registered 157 goal involvements (90 goals, 67 assists) in 190 games under at between 2021 and 2025.
Casemiro is Brazil’s most important player Credit: Getty
Raphinha (centre) and Vinicius Jr (right) make up a star-studded Brazil attack Credit: AFP
They also have , who has delivered 89 goal contributions (55 goals, 34 assists) in 90 appearances for over the past two seasons.
And they still have – Brazil‘s all-time top scorer with 79 goals.
Add boss Ancelotti into the mix – the only manager in history to win all five of Europe’s major leagues and five titles. It’s easy to see why are one of the favourites.
But the player who could ultimately determine whether they lift the trophy will not be one of their attacking superstars. It will be .
The midfielder, 34, didn’t play international for 20 months before Ancelotti made one of his first major decisions as Brazil boss – to bring him back and hand him the captain’s armband.
The impact was immediate.
In the first three matches, Brazil picked up seven points out of nine, which secured World Cup qualification – keeping three clean sheets while Casmiro played.
The statistics behind the Real Madrid legend’s importance are extraordinary.
Brazil collected 28 points during qualification.
Remarkably, 14 of those points came from the seven matches Casemiro played, while the other 14 came during the 11 games he missed.
The real story emerges defensively.
With Casemiro on the pitch, Brazil conceded just three goals. When he wasn’t on the pitch, they conceded 14 – almost five times as many goals when Casemiro wasn’t there.
Those numbers help explain why Ancelotti views him a pivotal figure despite the wealth of attacking talent available, and it’s not just Brazil where his influence can be measured.
The same pattern emerged at Manchester United last season.
United conceded 30 Premier League goals in 2,589 minutes when Casemiro was on the pitch.
Without him, they conceded 20 goals in only 831 minutes.
Ancelotti and Casemiro have enjoyed a lot of past success together Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The likes of Neymar (right) and Raphinha (left) will be carefully guided by Casemiro this summer Credit: Getty
That works out at one goal conceded every 86 minutes with Casemiro, and a goal conceded every 41.5 minutes without him.
In November, Ancelotti said: “He is the most important player for the team’s balance. He is very tactically intelligent. He shows great leadership. He is an important player for us.”
While in March, the Brazil boss stressed: “The World Cup is won by whoever concedes the least, not whoever scores the most.”
It’s a statement that feels particularly relevant when assessing Brazil’s current squad.
While the headlines will inevitably focus on the likes of Vinicius, Raphinha and Neymar, Ancelotti appears determined to build his side around control and defensive solidity – something he has historically done at club level.
Casemiro sitting in front of PSG’s and Arsenal’s Gabriel is the foundation of that plan.
Ancelotti knows Casemiro as well as anyone. He played 75 games under the Italian at Real Madrid and formed a key part of a serial winning team.
It will be no different this summer, and if Brazil are to win a sixth World Cup title, Casemiro will be fundamental.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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