Brazil legend Rivaldo calls for Hulk and Thiago Silva to make sensational returns to aid struggling Selecao's World Cup qualifying campaign

Dorival Junior's men succumbed to a 1-0 loss to Paraguay in Asuncion during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which have left them reeling in the fifth spot in the CONMEBOL standings. The manager decided to start the Real Madrid trident of Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Endrick in attack but they failed to fire home their side against a rugged defensive unit.

The string of lacklustre performances has forced 2002 World Cup winner Rivaldo to suggest that Atletico Mineiro forward Hulk and Fluminense defender Thiago Silva should be recalled to the national team. Hulk had last represented Brazil in 2021 while the former Chelsea defender has not received a call since the 2022 World Cup quarter-final loss to Croatia.

In an interview with Betfair, Rivaldo said: "From what I saw in yesterday's game, if you call up Hulk, even if it's not for the World Cup, he would be a huge help in these qualifiers. Thiago Silva could come back to a team like this, to help us qualify more easily. They are big names who would be good for the moment, they can handle the pressure of these games and the pressure from the press.

"We have many standout players in the Brasileirão who have already played for the national team. Hulk would play very well against these teams in the qualifiers, looking at how he trains and prepares, he would have a great chance of returning to the national team at this time."

Rivaldo was extremely critical of Brazil's performance against Paraguay and labelled the side as a "very poor team."

"It's not the team that fans and football fans like to see," he said.

"It's a very poor team. The team is going through very complicated and difficult times. The defeat to Paraguay, which has a much inferior team to Brazil, is sad, and it makes the Brazilian people angry. But the players need to keep going, there's no way around it. There's no going back. We have to think about Chile away from home, which is going through a very bad moment.

"If we lose to the Chileans, it will be even more complicated, because we are getting closer and closer to the start of the World Cup and we should already be much more prepared and in tune. At that point, the other teams would already be worried about Brazil."

Brazil are still within direct qualification spots for the 2026 World Cup which will be held in the USA, Mexico and the United States. The top six nations will have a direct ticket to the marquee global event whereas the seventh-placed team will have to earn their berth through an Inter-confederation playoff. The five-time world champions will return to action next month against Chile and Peru in their next two World Cup qualifiers.