Matheus Cunha has been given a huge honour, he will wear the number nine shirt for Brazil at World Cup 2026.
Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha has been named in Brazil’s squad for World Cup 2026 along with midfielder Casemiro.
Both players have been assigned squad numbers for the tournament.
Casemiro will wear Brazil’s number 5, while Matheus Cunha will carry the weight of the prestigious number 9 shirt.
Cunha wears the number 10 shirt for Manchester United.
He does not expect his role to change a lot, telling a press conference that the shirt number will not change how he will be playing.
Cunha told ESPN: “This second spell [with the national team] is much more similar to my time at United.
“Moving between the lines, playing as a midfielder, which is what I’ve been doing more at the club. I hope to be as successful here as I was there.”
Cunha ended the 2025/26 season with 10 goals and two assists.
What is your verdict on Matheus Cunha’s debut season for Man United?
Brazil’s past number nines
Since squad numbers were introduced at World Cups, there have been a series of legends to wear the number nine shirts for Brazil at the tournament.
Famous names include Tostao in 1970 and more recently Ronaldo in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
However, it has not always been a good omen.
Just like Manchester United struggled to find a worthy successor to Cristiano Ronaldo’s number 7 shirt, Brazil have been beset by misfortune with their number nines in recent years.
Since ‘R9’ Ronaldo played his last World Cup in 2006, the returns from their number nines have been dismal.
It would be wrong to say that Cunha is following in recent prestigious footsteps. Instead he is the player charged with restoring the number to former glory.
- 1970: Tostao
- 1974: Cesar Maluco
- 1978: Reinaldo
- 1982: Serginho Chulapa
- 1986: Careca
- 1990: Careca
- 1994: Zinho
- 1998: Ronaldo
- 2002: Ronaldo
- 2006: Ronaldo
- 2010: Luis Fabiano
- 2014: Fred
- 2018: Gabriel Jesus
- 2022: Richarlison
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Recent Brazilian number nine struggles
- In 2010, Luis Fabiano scored three goals for Brazil.
- In 2014, Fred scored one. It is important to note this was not the Fred who played for Manchester United.
- Gabriel Jesus failed to score a single goal at World Cup 2018.
- Richarlison scored three goals at World Cup 2022.
Back in 2002, Ronaldo scored eight goals to finish as the top scorer to lead Brazil to their last World Cup win.
The jury is out on whether Matheus Cunha can get even close to this.
Cunha has not scored a goal for Brazil since March 2025, and his overall record for his country is one goal in 21 games.
Don’t expect a R9-style return. It might even be a success if he matches Richarlison’s figure from 2022.
What really matters is whether Brazil win the trophy or not. Cunha can be a facilitator for teammates Vinicius and Rodrygo and others.
There is a big opportunity ahead for Cunha and Brazil, and a chance for the Manchester United star to write his name in history with his performances – goals will also be welcome.
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