“Neymar and the Brazil national team follow the Bundesliga” – Hannover’s Walace
Hannover midfielder Walace may have been a surprise inclusion for some in the last two Brazil squads, but he insists his club efforts had not gone unnoticed by international teammate Neymar and the rest of the Selecao, who all follow the Bundesliga.
Speaking to German sports daily Bild, the 23-year-old was asked whether he had to explain to his teammates where Hannover actually is. The holding midfielder, who has five Brazil caps to his name, smiled and replied, “Even though Hannover aren’t quite up there with the big clubs, everyone still knows H96. They all follow the Bundesliga.”
It’s Walace’s form in the Bundesliga that has brought him back into the Brazil fold after a two-year absence. The Salvador, Bahia native has become an integral part of Hannover’s midfield, which was the demand set by Selecao coach Tite.
“Anyone who wants to play for Brazil has to play a key role for their club,” is what Walace says he was told by Tite as he struggled for playing time at Hamburg. And that is what he has done since his summer move to Die Roten from relegated HSV.
The midfielder started all but one match in the first half of the season, averaging over 60 touches of the ball per 90 minutes and even completing over 87 per cent of his passes in a team sitting second from bottom.
Yet despite Hannover’s league troubles, Walace is the only Brazilian currently in the Bundesliga – and there are 13 – to be representing the five-time world champions. It a fact that makes him “very happy and very proud. It’s recognition and the result of my work at Hannover.”
Walace has proved a good-luck charm for Brazil. The Selecao have conceded just a single goal with him on the pitch across nine outings with their senior and Olympic teams. That was scored by former Schalke youngster Max Meyer in the final of the 2016 Rio Olympic football tournament.
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Brazil went on to win that match on penalties to earn Walace a gold medal just weeks before his move to Germany. Among that team in 2016 was Neymar, who the Hannover man describes as a “happy and funny guy who provides a good atmosphere within the team.”
Brazil don’t play again until March, but Walace and Hannover begin their attempt to secure Bundesliga safety when they welcome Werder Bremen to the HDI Arena on Saturday 19 January.
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