Who is Brazil’s chosen man to lead the attack in the World Cup?

Brazil’s national team manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has made official his last pre-World Cup call up list and one thing is clear: The Canarinha’s front man will be Fred.
It’s quite surprising that the star of the last Confedcup final, in which Brazil beat Spain, is still on the call ups set out by Scolari, mainly because he has been in and out of the injury room since last August.
Since the Fluminense attacker scored two goals against Spain, his continuous injuries have put a damper on his career, to the point that no one really thought Scolari would count on him for the World Cup.
But the Brazilian National Team manager is very loyal with the players who have been loyal to him, and he waited for Fred to recover and included him in the last call up before the World Cup.
Other players, like Diego Tardelli or Alan Kardec have done enough to be considered for the list, but Scolari believes Fred should be his man.
In a team that is full of talented midfielders, where classics like Kaka or Ronaldinho are not even being considered, the center forward spot is seen as a key position, as whomever is the starting striker will benefit –and will have the responsibility of materializing– from the enormous influx of creativity the attacking mids will bring.

Brazil has so much talent up front that even Lucas Moura, the $50 million man for PSG, is at serious risk of being left back. Scolari counts on Oscar, Willian, Hulk and Neymar, plus he will get the help from Ramires, who can play both as a defensive midfielder as well as an attacking one.
Fred, who spent four years at Lyon before returning to Brazil to play for Fluminense, has reached the perfect level of maturity in his game. At a younger age, he was considered with the potential to be amongst the greatest forwards of all time, but perhaps his fast progression halted his development.
Fred, the chosen one
Now, at 30 years of age, and without the superstar forwards that proliferated in Brazilian soccer in the 90s and 2000s, Fred is seen as the surefire bet for Scolari’s squad, albeit the injuries.
The Flu star has not had much playing time, but Scolari knows exactly what he will get from him, and he’s willing to give him a chance to prove his worth –and his stamina– in the upcoming friendly against South Africa.
Atletico Mineiro’s Jo Alves has been the other forward chosen by Scolari to help the team upfront, and he fits the same profile as Fred: Mature player, proven goal scorer with lots of experience in Europe, although now making strides in Brazil again.
If all goes well, Fred will be the starting forward come January. But otherwise, Scolari knows with Neymar, Hulk, Jo, and the many other attackers in his list, scoring goals should be the least of his worries.