For the first time since 2018, Fred was not called up to Brazil's team solely to make up the numbers. He's an important aspect of manager Tite's strategy.
Fred kept his starting spot for Copa America's first game after starting the last two World Cup qualifiers in early June.
He played 86 minutes for Brazil in a 3-0 victory over Venezuela.
In his three games in June, this was his longest span. He was substituted at halftime in Brazil's last qualifying match after collecting a booking.
In this game, Fred stayed out of the referee's notebook and only committed one foul.
He won six duels and touched the ball 94 times while keeping Brazil in the game.
Fred finished the game with 74 passes, the most of any player on the field. He completed 91% of his passes and just missed one opportunity.
Late in the game, he was replaced by Fabinho, a Liverpool player.
Brazil won 3-0 thanks to goals from Marquinhos, Neymar (penalty), and Gabriel Barbosa.
Copa America will move on to the next round.
Fred made his 12th appearance for Brazil, and he seems to have done well enough to keep his place in the next group game.
Brazil's next Copa America match is at 1 a.m. on Friday morning against Peru (UK time).
Edinson Cavani, a Manchester United teammate, will not play until Saturday.
Uruguay takes against Argentina at 1 a.m. on June 19. On Monday, July 21, at 10 p.m., they will face Chile.
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