SAO PAULO, Sept 18: Luis Fabiano will enter Brazil’s match against Argentina on Wednesday knowing this may be his last chance to show he still deserves a spot in the Brazilian national team.
The 31-year-old Sao Paulo striker started for Brazil at the 2010 World Cup, but this is the first time he has been selected since coach Mano Menezes took over after the team’s quarter-final elimination in South Africa.
Luis Fabiano knows he’s “running out of time” and wants to impress the coach ahead of next year’s Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup.
The match in Goiania is the first leg of the Superclassic of the Americas, a home-and-away series between the South American rivals. Only players from local clubs are allowed to participate.
“I want to keep my spot,” Luis Fabiano said. “I know that I’m running out of time. I’m not a kid anymore, so I have to try to do my best to take advantage of this great opportunity that I’m having now.”
Luis Fabiano will be the oldest Brazil player in the match. The coach revamped the national team after the World Cup, replacing Ronaldinho and Kaka with young promising stars such as Neymar, Lucas, Oscar and Leandro Damiao.
Luis Fabiano is receiving another chance thanks in part to his great performances with Sao Paulo in the Brazilian league. He has 11 goals, tied with Fluminense’s Fred as the tournament’s leading scorer.
“I still don’t see myself at the World Cup, we have many players fighting for a spot right now,” he said. “But a lot can still happen before the World Cup. There will be a few friendlies until then, and I think that if I’m at 100 percent in 2014 I can be one of the names in that final list.”—AP