Fluminense striker Fred has used a choice Brazilian phrase to describe his desire to play at the 2014 World Cup by vowing to “kill a lion every day".
The 29-year-old topped the Brasileirão scoring charts to lead Fluminense to the domestic title last season, before finishing joint top-scorer at the Confederations Cup with five goals, including two in the 3-0 final victory over Spain.
And now Fred says he is desperate to make Luiz Felipe Scolari"s squad for the main event on home soil next summer, but acknowledges it will be difficult.
“Of course, the closer the World Cup gets, the more the anxiety rises," Fred told Goal.com.
“I"m very happy to have been part of this winning group at the Confeds, but I know I have to kill a lion every day and continue to prove that I deserve a spot in the Brazil team for the next 10 months.
“Last year was magical. Fluminense"s Brasileirão campaign was amazing. And so was my time with the Seleção. Both Scolari and [team director Carlos Alberto] Parreira supported me, kept me relaxed and trusted my ability, which allowed me to show my very best.
“We are on a great run with Brazil and we won this Confeds by beating some of the top international sides in the world – Spain, Italy and Uruguay."
The former Lyon man has been linked with a move away from Fluminense after his superb performances in recent weeks, including to Manchester City, but Fred will not considering leaving until the club want him to.
He added: “I"ve only played for four clubs. A lot of players much younger than me have already featured for 10 or 15 teams.
“I have no reason to think about leaving. But I don"t know if one day president Peter [Siemsen] and Mr. Celso [chairman of Unimad, the sponsor responsible for paying the club"s top earners] will call me and say that there is an offer that can"t be turned down."
