Football

The midfielder is desperate to lift the trophy on home soil with Brazil in 2014 but wants to focus on performing for his club to make the squad

EXCLUSIVE
By Tiago Domingos

Luiz Gustavo believes his upcoming season with Bayern Munich will be key to his performances with Brazilat next summer's World Cup.

The 25-year-old won the treble with the German club in a silverware-strewn 2013 and was subsequently part of the Brazil squad which triumphed in last month's Confederations Cup.

Gustavo's main craving in the coming 12 months is to become a world champion under Luiz Felipe Scolari and he hopes that Brazil can take a leaf from Bayern's book by learning to build on their successes.

"The main goal [for the next season] is to win the World Cup," the midfielder told Goal. "But for that to happen I need to really focus on the work I do at Bayern.#

"Being concentrated and working hard every day is the way to winning titles with Bayern and consequently to be with the national team.

"I always say that no player has a contract with their national team. That’s why we need to make sure that we’ll always be doing well. I recognise that this group that won the Confederations Cup is one step ahead from everyone else, but no one is guaranteed to be at the World Cup.

"[Under new Bayern boss Pep Guardiola] the challenges are still the same. We have to win everything we conquered last season and more - the Club World Cup and the Super Cup against Chelsea too."