DIEGO GETS FIRST BRAZIL CALL UP IN 9 YEARS

 

Flamengo playmaker Diego and Sport forward Diego Souza have received surprise calls to the Brazil squad for this month's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Paraguay.

Both players starred in Brazil's charity match against Colombia in January and were rewarded by coach Tite with national team selections for Brazil's March 23rd and 28th matches.
Diego -- a former Santos, Porto, Wolfbsurg and Juventus player -- has received 36 caps for his country and helped the Selecao to Copa America titles in 2004 and 2007, but hadn't been called up since a 2008 friendly against Portugal.
Diego Souza -- who's made stops at Fluminense, Vasco da Gama, Benfica and Metalist among many others -- will fill an opening up front left by Gabriel Jesus, who broke his foot in Manchester City's match at Bournemouth last month.
The Diegos are among four Brazil-based players called up by Tite, and will join big names such as Neymar, Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, Marcelo, Marquinhos, Willian, Casemiro and Douglas Costa in the squad.
The list also includes three players -- Gil, Renato Augusto and Paulinho -- who are based in China.
Brazil have won all eight of their matches since Tite took over last summer, and currently sit top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table with 27 points, four ahead of second-placed Uruguay, who they will visit on March 23.
The full squad:
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Weverton (Atletico-PR), Ederson (Benfica)
Centre-backs: Marquinhos and Thiago Silva (PSG), Miranda (Inter Milan), Gil (Shandong Luneng)
Full-backs: Daniel Alves (Juventus), Fagner (Corinthians), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Paulinho (Guangzhou Evergrande), Giuliano (Zenit), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Diego (Flamengo), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Willian (Chelsea)
Forwards: Neymar (Barcelona), Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Diego Souza (Sport)