Nearly a decade after joining PSV, and with 24 appearances for Brazil’s youth teams already behind him, the left-back had all but stopped expecting an invitation to the senior side. Then his phone rang.
“I am really happy. It is an honor to be part of the Brazil squad,” he told Voetbal International.
“It was special when I got the call. It surprised me too. I did not expect ever to be called up.”
The first person he rang was his wife.
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“I called my wife right away, pure joy.”
Ancelotti wants a closer look
Ancelotti took over as Brazil head coach in May 2025 and has spent months auditing left-back options across Europe. He used a press conference to explain why the PSV captain caught his eye.
“He is a left-back with characteristics that are quite different from those of the others. I do not yet know him very well,” Ancelotti said in remarks reported by fcupdate.nl.
“We evaluate a lot of left-backs active in Europe and we have a lot of good options. I want to see Mauro Junior work up close, because it looks as if he has a very interesting profile.”
Mauro Junior has spent his entire European career at PSV, joining the club in 2017 and moving between midfield and defense before becoming a first-team fixture under Peter Bosz.
Captain by circumstance
The armband landed on his arm this summer after long-serving midfielder Jerdy Schouten ruptured his cruciate ligament in April, an injury that also ruled the Dutchman out of the World Cup. PSV promoted its vice-captain to fill the vacancy.
The Brazil news broke on the same weekend PSV beat Sparta Rotterdam 4-1 in the Eredivisie, with Mauro Junior in the starting eleven. He was quick to spread the credit.
“I am proud of myself and proud of the team. They helped me reach this beautiful moment,” he told Voetbalprimeur.
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His week now runs on split priorities.
“First I have to focus on my club and the last game. After that I will be fully focused on the national team.”
Brazil face Australia twice, in Townsville on 25 September and Brisbane on 29 September, before travelling to Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium to meet India on 3 October. Three friendlies stand between the PSV captain and a first senior appearance in the yellow shirt.
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