FIFA World Cup 2014: Brazil 23-man squad announced

Brazil's head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari announced the 23-player list for the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, looking forward to win a record 6th FIFA World Cup. Not surprisingly, the player list announced for the 2014 edition of FIFA World Cup includes 16 players from the last years Confederations Cup winning squad, which defeated the world and European champions Spain beating them by  3 goals in Rio De Janeiro.

Scolari, former Chelsea FC manager, included four Chelsea stars in the World Cup squad. David Luiz in the defence along with Ramires, Oscar and Willian in the midfield. Manchester City's Fernandinho along with Tottenham Hotspur's Paulinho make it a total of 6 players from the English Premier League.

The likes of David Luiz, Dante and Thiago Silva form a rock solid defence for the team, along with Dani Alves and Marcelo, who offer pace in the wing-back position for the team. Henrique's selection was a bit surprising. Currently playing for Napoli, Henrique has only played 71 minutes for the Brazil National team. Henrique who formerly worked under Scolari at Palmieras, is seemed to have regained the coach's confidence. The midfield of the team consists of creative-attacking midfielders like Oscar and Willian. Manchester City's Fernandinho, Chelsea's Ramires, Wolfsburg's Luis Gustavo and Tottenham Hotspur's Paulinho are the defensive-central midfielders included in the squad.

The attacking part of the team includes Zenit St. Petersburg winger Hulk and FC Barcelona's Neymar, who will wear the famous No.10 shirt, which was worn by Pele. Fred, who plays for Fluminense, is included in the squad as well. His performance in the 2013 Confederations Cup was impressive as he scored 5 goals in the tournament, out of which 2 were scored against Spain in the finals. The loss of Diego Costa to Spain was a huge blow for the Brazil National team as the Brazil born striker opted for Spain over his country of birth as he had been granted Spanish nationality earlier in the summer of 2013. Following the news, Scolari commented: "A Brazilian player who refuses to wear the shirt of the Brazilian national team and compete in a World Cup in your country is automatically withdrawn. He is turning his back on a dream of millions, to represent our national team, the five-time champions in a World Cup in Brazil."

Though the Brazil's 23 man squad has been announced, there are a few players who missed out at getting a spot into the team. AC Milan teammates Kaka and Robinho have missed out a place in the World Cup squad. Former FIFA Ballon D'or winner Ronaldinho has also missed out on the squad. The 34-year old last won the World Cup in 2002, under the management of Scolari. Ronaldinho came into the eyes of the people with a spectacular free kick goal he scored against England. But his poor performance in the 2006 World Cup had a major impact on his international career and eventually missed out on the 2010 World Cup squad. PSG's Lucas Moura, and Liverpool pair Lucas Levia and Philippe Coutinho are few of the others to have missed out on the World Cup squad.

Here is a list complete list of Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup:

Goalkeepers: Jefferson (Botafogo), Julio César (Toronto), Victor (Atlético Mineiro).

Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Roma), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Maxwell(PSG), Dante (Bayern de Munique), David Luiz (Chelsea), Henrique (Napoli), Thiago Silva (PSG).

Midfield: Fernandinho (Manchester City), Hernanes (Inter Milan), Luiz Gustavo(Wolfsburg), Oscar (Chelsea), Paulinho (Tottenham), Ramires (Chelsea), Willian (Chelsea).

Forwards: Bernard (Shakhtar), Fred (Fluminense), Hulk (Zenit), Jô (Atlético Mineiro), Neymar (Barcelona)

This year, Luiz Filipe Scolari is looking to win a 2nd World Cup with Brazil and Brazil's record 6th World Cup.