Published: 2 October, 2009, 12:09
Edited: 2 October, 2009, 09:01
The best scorer of the Russian Premier League, Brazilian striker Welliton, says he’ll be happy to play for the Russian national team.
“If I get the offer I’d play for Russia. It’s very hard to be capped for Brazil. Not because I don’t fit in with my physical and technical characteristics, it’s just that I played for the wrong club. There are a huge number of footballers in my country. And the national team coaches only pay attention to those playing in the top clubs, but I played for the little known Goias and had no chance of being scouted,” Welliton told Sovetsky Sport newspaper.
The 22-year-old scored 15 goals in 23 matches for Spartak Moscow this season, and his teammate playmaker Alex got the much-desired invitation to the Brazilian national team this week, while Welliton was overlooked.
The striker added that “at the moment, there are no plans to apply for Russian citizenship” for him.
Naturalized players have never defended the colors of the Russian football team, unlike in Russian basketball, where Americans J.R. Holden and Kelly McCarty play for men’s team, while the women’s side boasts Becky Hammon.