Brazil must leave egos behind: Weverton

Weverton’s FIFA World Cup 2026 call-up to Brazil left him dazed and in disbelief. The family’s living-room CCTV camera captured the moment the 38-year-old goalkeeper, overcome with emotion, tumbled over the sofa and sank into stunned stillness – footage that quickly went viral online.

Weverton was part of the Brazil squad at Qatar 2022, where the Seleçao were eliminated by Croatia in the quarterfinals. A surprise inclusion in Ancelotti’s final squad for 2026 – despite having never previously been called up by the Italian tactician – the experienced shot-stopper will once again feature alongside Alisson and Ederson in Brazil’s goalkeeping ranks.

In an interview with FIFA, Weverton talks about his emotional call-up, Brazil's goalkeeping trio and being a guide for the Seleçao youngsters.

Question: Now that the news has had time to sink in, what has been going through your mind?

Weverton: It’s been a very special few days, full of joy and gratitude. I’m very grateful to God and to the people who have helped me get this far. Every day, I think about the opportunity we have to make history, to represent a nation that loves football so much and will be right behind us as we try to come home with Brazil’s sixth title.

Question: You and Neymar won gold at Rio 2016 and now are chasing World Cup glory together. How can a star-studded squad turn into a title-winning team?

Weverton: It’s about how committed the group is to the objective – leaving vanity and egos behind, with everyone pulling in the same direction. We’re a great set of players who are ready to seize this opportunity and do everything we can to etch our names in Brazilian football history.

Question: Brazil have again named the same three goalkeepers for a World Cup. What was it like working with Alisson and Ederson in Qatar?

Weverton: As well as being great keepers, they are two great guys whom I am lucky to count as friends. We got on very well in 2022 and had a lot of respect for one another. As goalkeepers, we know only one of us can play, but we push each other every day so that all three of us stay at the highest level. Whoever is not playing will always be cheering the others on.

Question: Which Brazil goalkeepers have inspired you most over the years?

Weverton: I love the position. Being a goalkeeper has taught me a lot in life: to be strong, to be resilient and to make decisions in high-pressure situations. Those are qualities I also try to look for in other goalkeepers. For much of that time that I’ve been part of the Seleçao set-up, I was there with Alisson and Ederson, so I always tried to watch what they did, how they trained and how they carried themselves off the pitch. But the goalkeepers who shaped my formative years and inspired me to become a goalkeeper were [Claudio] Taffarel and Marcos, World Cup winners in 1994 and 2002, respectively.

Question: Having built such a strong bond with Palmeiras, how difficult was it to leave for Gremio?

Weverton: It wasn’t an easy decision at all, given everything I’d lived through at Palmeiras, but there are moments in life when you have to be brave; sometimes the hardest decisions are the ones that move you forward. I’ll always be grateful to Palmeiras and their fans for everything I experienced there. I prayed, asked God for guidance and felt this was the path he wanted me to take. I’m sure it was the right step for my career.

Question: What will it mean to share this World Cup journey with two players you helped guide at Palmeiras, Endrick and Danilo Santos?

Weverton: They’re two players I saw grow up at Palmeiras. We won trophies together, and we have a funny story: every time Endrick scored, I would give him a pair of trainers, and Danilo would come along to the shopping centre to help him pick them. When I realised how many goals he was scoring, I had to stop! I have been part of Brazil squads with Danilo before, and later with Endrick too. Now it will be special to have both of them there with me at the same time.