Nottingham Forest star issues five-word message after being unused in Brazil's clash with Colombia
03/21/2025 02:30 PM
Murillo’s international break has once again got off to a shaky start, remaining an unused substitute once again for Dorival Junior’s Brazil.
The week began with excitement as Murillo was spotted training with Vinicius Junior, but once again Nottingham Forest fans were left disappointed as their star centre-back failed to make it onto the pitch.
However, it was actually Brazil fans criticising Dorival over his Murillo decision as the established pair of Gabriel and Marquinhos have begun to lose faith of the Brazilian supporters.
In fact, Murillo has been compared to Gabriel at Arsenal this season such has been his meteoric rise at the City Ground, clearly not impressive enough for the Brazil coach, though.
Still, true to his character, Murillo has posted on social media about his experience in the Brazil squad against Colombia, clearly not deterred by being snubbed once again.
Murillo remains positive on social media despite Brazil snub
Murillo was proud of his first Brazil experience despite not actually earning his debut in the November fixtures. Some might’ve expected the 22-year-old to show signs of frustration this time around, but his Instagram activity at least suggests otherwise.
Captioned with the simple message of: “proud to wear this shirt”, Murillo showed his gratitude for at least being a member of the squad despite his unfortunate absence from the starting XI.
With Morgan Gibbs-White left out of the England vs Albania squad it seems like the stars of the City Ground aren’t going to get their flowers during this international break.
However, in the Brazilian’s case, it seems particularly harsh given how he has performed statistically when compared to Gabriel this season.
Murillo is statistically outperforming Gabriel this season
Much has been made of Forest’s Brazilian star this season as Murillo is one of the best defenders in Europe statistically, greatly impacting the Reds’ charge to the Champions League places.
Now amongst the elite sides of the Premier League, comparisons can be made between the various defences, comparisons that Murillo comes out well in.
| Statistic | Murillo | Gabriel |
| Accurate long balls per 90 | 3.34 | 2.18 |
| Successful dribbles per 90 | 0.87 | 0.15 |
| Tackles won % | 71.4% | 60% |
| Aerial duels won % | 62.3% | 59.3% |
Murillo is known for his excellent passing range so to see him outshining Gabriel in the accurate long balls category is no surprise, alongside his superior dribbling which makes him a perfect defender in high-pressure possession situations.
However, it’s not as if the Forest star is only good on the ball, as Murillo is outclassing Gabriel in both the tackles won and aerial duels won percentages, showing that he can hold his own as a physical presence too.
Clearly, in international football, there is an element of loyalty, but the work that the Forest coaching staff have put into Murillo has made him a statistical improvement on Gabriel, whether Dorival is ready to accept this or not for Brazil’s trip to face Argentina is to be seen.
