Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha was hailed as Brazil's best player in Tuesday's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Argentina.
Cunha is currently serving a four-match suspension for his dismissal against Bournemouth in the FA Cup fifth round last month.
However, despite having two more games on the sidelines, the versatile attacker was selected to represent his country in the World Cup qualifier against the defending champions in Buenos Aires.
Brazil succumbed to a tame defeat against their fierce rivals, yet Cunha was able to come out with credit due to his goal in the first half.
Having dispossessed Cristian Romero, the 25-year-old advanced forward before finding the bottom corner of the net from outside of the penalty area.
It was a defeat for Brazil last night, losing 4-1 to Argentina but Matheus Cunha got on the scoresheet in the first half. 🇧🇷 🐺
— Talking Wolves (@TalkingWolves) March 26, 2025
Cunha played around 70 mins, Andre started and played over 80 mins and Joao Gomes came on at half time.#WWFC | #Wolves
pic.twitter.com/HqICX1cpuF
Cunha earns rave reviews
Given the context of the defeat, Brazil's national team have been heavily criticised by local media, with only four wins having come from their last 10 fixtures.
Nevertheless, Cunha came out of the experience with praise from local media with two outlets paying him credit ahead of his return to England.
One outlet Correio Braziliense said: "Author of the National Team's goal, he was the best on the field. He was the reference in the attack, but he had to go back to get the ball to generate alternatives for the attack.
"It went well when biting the sister ball exit and being rewarded with the first goal with the first team."
Meanwhile, Zero Hora added: "He was the one who tried the hardest. The reward came in the form of a goal."
© Imago
A boost ahead of the summer?
Cunha may have recently penned a new long-term contract at Molineux, but there is said to be a release clause of £62.5m present in his deal.
On the back of his recent act of petulance taking his total of games missed through suspension this season to six, some Wolves fans will not mind if they can cash in on the player's signature for that figure.
Wolves are about to embark on key encounters against West Ham United and Ipswich Town with their top goalscorer, who will not return to action until April 13.
While some clubs may have reservations about his recent behaviour, his goal on Tuesday - his first for Brazil - served as a reminder of the value that he can bring to any attack.
Darren Plant
Argentina
Ecuador
Uruguay
Paraguay
Brazil
Colombia
Venezuela
Bolivia
Chile
Peru
