The Brazilian national team has a new starter: Rayan. The forward was named as a starter for the first time in the 2026 World Cup in the match against Scotland.
Who is Rayan?
Rayan was discovered by Vasco and is Carlo Ancelotti's option to replace Raphinha, who was injured in the match against Haiti.
How did Rayan become the 6th youngest starter?
By starting among the 11 initial players, Rayan becomes the sixth youngest player to participate in a World Cup. See the list:
| Player | Age |
|---|---|
| Pelé | 17 years and 235 days |
| Carvalho Leite | 18 years and 25 days |
| Marco Antônio | 19 years and 128 days |
| Tostão | 19 years and 171 days |
| Mazzola | 19 years and 319 days |
| Rayan | 19 years and 325 days |
What does this mean for the team?
In addition, this is the first time the Brazilian national team has a player under 20 as a starter in the World Cup. Rayan symbolizes a change in the profile of the Brazilian team.
The Brazilian national team opened the scoring with Vini Jr. in a play that involved Rayan's disarmament and left the number 7 face to face with the goal. The forward only needed to cut the defender to put the Brazilian team in the lead.
