I am writing this the day after Bento’s absurd mistake in the derby between Al Nassr and Al Hilal, and it made me think about Brazil’s situation with goalkeepers. I would not call it a decline, but it is definitely complicated.
The World Cup is getting closer, the pressure is only increasing and Brazil are not even a top three favourite anymore, maybe top five. And one of the positions raising the most doubts is clearly goalkeeper. The three most likely to go are Alisson, Ederson and Bento. Then there is that debate about whether Hugo Souza should replace Ederson or Bento.
But the question is simple: besides Alisson, does any of them actually inspire confidence? And I say “besides Alisson” because he is injured. Should he still go to the World Cup? Yes. But not under ideal conditions. And that changes everything, because he stops being an automatic guaranteed starter.
In a scenario where he is not fully fit, does anyone truly feel safe with Ederson or Bento in goal?
Ederson is at Fenerbahçe now, and honestly I do not follow him much there, but when he started in that friendly against France, he got chipped for both goals. And with his feet, which is supposed to be his biggest strength, he did not even look like the same player. That is what the average Brazilian fan sees. They do not watch the Turkish league, they remember these moments.
Bento has a worrying pattern: he makes mistakes in big games. Yesterday against Hilal, in what was basically a title-deciding match, he made two absurd errors. And it is not an isolated case either, it already happened against Al Ahli. So in moments of pressure, he struggles.
Hugo Souza could be an option, but let us be honest: every time his name comes up, it is mostly because of penalties. He is very good at them. But as a starting goalkeeper at a World Cup? I do not know.
And this also says something bigger: Brazil have taken steps backwards. I am not saying they are getting worse in every area, but there are positions clearly going through a dark period, and goalkeeping is one of them.
Conclusion
Out of four options, three will go to the World Cup and one has to start. If Alisson is physically fine, he is the starter without any debate.
But if he is not, none of the other options truly provide security. Ederson does not convince in the moments that matter, Bento makes mistakes in big matches and Hugo Souza would feel more like a gamble based on penalties than genuine trust.
And for a national team like Brazil, that says a lot.