The Brazilian national team called up Barcelona winger Raphinha on Tuesday to replace injured Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior as they begin their World Cup qualification campaign.
Vinicius, who left the field in pain after Friday's 1-0 LaLiga win over Celta Vigo by Real Madrid, is anticipated to be out for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury. On September 8 and September 12, respectively, Brazil's qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru, he will be absent.
The 23-year-old star was hurt, according to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), and coach Fernando Diniz chose Raphinha to take his place.
The 26-year-old Raphinha previously represented the "Selecao" at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where the five-time champions were defeated by Croatia in the quarterfinals.
He had a difficult start to the season with Barcelona after receiving a red card and being dismissed during their league debut against Getafe and missing the following two games.
With Vinicius out, Neymar, 31, who began a lucrative contract with Al-Hilal this month and recently moved to Saudi Arabia, will be expected to spearhead the assault as Brazil begins their long-awaited run for a sixth World Cup victory.
However, Neymar's new club's coach, Jorge Jesus of Portugal, reportedly questioned whether or not he was well enough to play for his country's squad, claiming he had a slight ailment.
