In 2024, information emerged that the Brazilian midfielder of Shakhtar Pedrinho could become a player of the Ukrainian national team. Later, the actor himself indirectly confirmed this. And just yesterday this news took a new form. Moreover, there is a possibility that Pedrinho will be naturalized during the Blue-Yellow matches to be played in March.

Will this be a strength for Sergei Rebrov’s team? The former coach of the national team told the Meta.ua website exclusively: Miron Markevich.

“It is difficult for me to give a definitive answer to this question,” Markevich said. – However, it seems to me that Shakhtar has stronger players in the midfield line. Another question is whether the football player has expressed a desire to play for the Ukrainian national team and whether the head coach needs him.

Of course, in general, Pedrinho is a quality player. This season the midfielder plays effective football, is light and agile. A player with these qualities could have helped in the match against Sweden, which had a strong performance. But still, if Sergei Rebrov needs a Brazilian, it means he sees something in this football player. The mentor is responsible for the outcome and is the one who decides.

We have many players who can combine on the midline and there is serious competition. I hope Alexander Zinchenko starts playing, we also have strong players like Georgy Sudakov, Viktor Tsygankov, Alexander Zubkov, Alexey Gutsulyak, Ruslan Malinovsky. Therefore, considering all of the above, it is a question whether this will be a panacea for the national team.

Let us also remind you that the Ukraine national team will play the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament play-off semi-final match against Sweden on March 26. The winner of this match in the final will face the winner of the match between Poland and Albania on March 31 for the right to advance to the final part of the tournament.