Brazil Call Up Two of Arda Turan's Players: From the Shadow of War to the National Team

Alisson Santana and Marlon Gomes, who play for Arda Turan's Shakhtar Donetsk, have received their first call-ups to the Brazil national team. Both players were named in the 26-man squad selected by head coach Carlo Ancelotti for November's friendlies. Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian stars, who have had to make long journeys and play matches in different cities because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, have seized one of the biggest opportunities of their careers despite these difficult conditions.

Carlo Ancelotti included five players in the Brazil senior squad for the first time for the final international window of the year. Alongside Shakhtar Donetsk's Alisson and Marlon Gomes, Cruzeiro's Jonathan Jesus, Corinthians' André and Manchester City's Allan are also among the newcomers. During this window, Brazil will play friendlies in Singapore against Japan on 14 November and against Singapore on 17 November.

With Ukrainian airspace closed to civilian flights, travel is particularly difficult for Shakhtar Donetsk, especially in European competition. For international fixtures, the team must first travel by road to neighbouring countries before continuing the journey by air. As a result, trips that would normally take a few hours stretch into many more once bus and train travel is factored in.

Constantly changing travel schedules, training sessions held in different cities and security measures also have a direct impact on the players' daily lives. Despite all these challenges, Shakhtar Donetsk continue to compete with determination in both the Ukrainian league and European competition, and Alisson and Marlon Gomes have earned their place in the Brazil national team through their performances.