Midfielder Martinelli fulfilled his dream of playing for the Brazil national team on Tuesday in a 4-2 friendly win over Australia, receiving warm public praise from his Fluminense teammate Germán Cano. The Argentine forward, an idol at the Rio club, posted a social media message celebrating the achievement of the youth academy graduate.
Cano wrote that it was a joy to see Martinelli living his dream and that his first game for Brazil was more than deserved. The striker said he had closely followed his teammate's growth and the battles he had overcome since they have been together at Fluminense.
Martinelli came on in the 37th minute of the second half, replacing Bruno Guimarães, and played around twelve minutes on his debut. Match data shows the midfielder completed all seven passes he attempted and made one defensive intervention. His call-up came in the new cycle under coach Dorival Júnior ahead of the 2030 World Cup, following the omission of João Pedro, whose status can be tracked on our injuries page.
The debut came during a positive period for the Seleção, who top their World Cup qualifying group with seven points from three games, as the standings confirm. The 4-2 victory over the Australians was their third win in five matches, as seen in our stats.
In his message, Cano expressed his pride and wished for this to be the first of many caps for Martinelli. The Fluminense player is now expected to return to his club for the final stretch of the season, which includes the Copa Libertadores semi-finals, while Brazil prepare to face India in Calcutta next Saturday, October 3rd.
More detail at Globo Esporte
