Matthews Nunes, called up by Tite, has decided not to appear in the national team with an eye on Portugal | Brazilian national team

With a Portuguese passport, Matthews Nunes went to Portugal when he was only 12 years old. He has a Portuguese accent and an acquaintance with the Portuguese more than the short period he spent in Rio de Janeiro, in the west of the city, where he was born.

The Brazilian Football Confederation has not yet been informed of the withdrawal of the player who will appear after Sporting’s match next Saturday with Farmalicao in the Portuguese championship.

The Sporting de Lisboa player had already been sought by the Portuguese team and even mentioned by the coach at a press conference for Fernando Santos. Another Brazilian Portuguese, Otávio, revealed by Internacional, was called up by Portugal.

Before the call the coach of the Brazilian national team, Tite, made contact with the player to show the desire to be a midfielder.

– Matthews Nunes is part of the team notes – Santos said, confirming that he was among the list of 40 athletes on the Portuguese radar.

Through the call, the Brazilian Federation tried to expect another player to lose against European teams. More recently, the most emblematic case is that of Jorginho, the European Cup champion with Italy, in 2021. Mateos Nunes is 1.83 meters tall, plays as a second defensive midfielder and has been prominent in recent seasons for the Lisbon team. Before, he played for two less expressive teams in Portugal.

Born in Campo Grande, Rio, he moved with his mother Katia and stepfather at the age of 12 to the nearby tourist town of Ericeira, Lisbon. There, he studied and began his first steps in football at Grupo Desportivo União Ericeirense, who plays in the lower divisions.

coveted in the English Premier League

With concentration, he went to Estoril-Praia until he reached Sporting de Lisboa. While playing at the base, he decides to help his godfather at Pão da Vila bakery in Ericeira. I stayed at the counter and attended.

– I worked in the bakery for six or five months. This came in the morning and the games were in the afternoon. I stayed five times, sometimes I stand on my feet for an hour, and training later was not easy. He didn’t have a driver’s license and got up at five in the morning to cycle to work – he told Sporting TV.

The Portuguese accent is not deceptive. Matthews already has Portuguese roots, although he loves Brazil very much – he planned a trip back to Rio de Janeiro before the pandemic.

In recent weeks, Sporting received a survey from Everton, Which he referred to an offer of 20 million euros. But there was no progress. With the Lion in the Champions League group stage, the Portuguese are betting on valuing the player for the next window.