Raphinha to captain Brazil against Japan in place of injured Marquinhos

Barcelona winger Raphinha has been given the Brazil captaincy for the international friendly against Japan. The captain's armband will be on his arm for the match to be held in Singapore next Saturday.

With regular captain Marquinhos ruled out of the squad through injury, coach Carlo Ancelotti has chosen the 29-year-old forward. Raphinha got the captaincy ahead of Vinicius Junior and Bruno Guimaraes.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Marca, PSG defender Marquinhos suffered a muscle injury in a Champions League match against Barcelona. In his absence, Raphinha has been given the responsibility of leading the Brazil team at Singapore's National Stadium.

Although he has captained Brazil before, being given the responsibility this time is being seen as recognition of his growing influence at national team and club level. Indications from recent training suggest the winger will also be in the starting eleven for the match against Japan on 14 November.

Ancelotti and his coaching staff considered several names to choose a captain in Marquinhos's absence. The list of possibles included Vinicius, Bruno Guimaraes and Gabriel Magalhaes. Rotating the captain's armband among different players in the team was also under consideration. In the end, however, the Italian coach decided to maintain the continuity of the leadership set during the previous international break.

Marca's report further said that if Raphinha is not on the pitch, Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes will carry out the captain's duties.

Raphinha has established himself as one of the most experienced and influential players in the team under Hansi Flick at Barcelona. Despite suffering in some matches through injury, he has already scored 19 goals in all competitions this season.

Barcelona's authorities, however, are cautious about Raphinha's fitness. Having been injured during the last international break, the Catalan club will keep an eye on his playing time for the national team this time. Under the plan, although he will start against Japan, he is unlikely to stay on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in any match, mainly to keep his workload under control.

Brazil are travelling to Japan and Singapore on an Asia tour for the third time. They had also played there in 2014 and 2019. After beating Argentina 2-1 on 14 October 2014, Brazil faced Japan in Singapore, where the Selecao won 4-0 with four goals from Neymar. In 2019, they drew two consecutive matches 1-1 against Senegal and Nigeria.

After the match against Japan, Brazil will face hosts Singapore at the same venue on 17 November, which will end their 2026 international schedule. Paraguay are also taking part in this four-team series. They will play the hosts on Friday, and will then face Japan next Tuesday.

Returning to Barcelona in a healthy state after finishing his international duty is now important for Raphinha, because Flick's team will return to a busy schedule in domestic and European competitions again at the end of this month.