Ancelotti to Coach Brazilian National Team Starting from 2024 Copa America

Renowned Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti will take over the helm of the Brazilian national football team starting from the 2024 Copa America, according to a source at the Brazilian Football Confederation, reported the French news agency AFP on Tuesday.

The Brazilian Football Confederation had previously announced that Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz would temporarily assume the position until a permanent coach is hired.

Ancelotti (64 years old) will complete the remaining year of his contract with Real Madrid before taking charge of the "Seleção" and leading them in the Copa America scheduled for June 2024 in the United States.

Ancelotti is considered one of the most successful coaches in Europe, having won the continent's most prestigious club competition, the Champions League, twice with both Milan (2003 and 2007) and Real Madrid (2014 and 2022). He has also won numerous domestic titles, including the Italian Serie A (2004 with Milan), English Premier League (2010 with Chelsea), Spanish La Liga (2022 with Real Madrid), French Ligue 1 (2013 with Paris Saint-Germain), and German Bundesliga (2017 with Bayern Munich).

Ancelotti will replace Tite, who was the coach of the Brazilian national team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before leaving after "Seleção" was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Croatia. He temporarily handed over the task to Ramon Menezes.

The Brazilian Football Confederation issued a statement on Tuesday, stating that Diniz would be in charge of the team for the next year.

The President of the Confederation, Edinaldo Rodrigues, said in a video statement, "Fernando Diniz will lead the Brazilian national team for one year, and I am confident that he will do so with great efficiency, as he has always done in his professional career."

Diniz himself said, "It is a great dream, honor, and pride to serve the national team."

The 49-year-old will coach the team in six matches of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, including matches against Argentina and Uruguay.

Brazil will begin their qualification journey in September, playing Bolivia at home and then Peru away.

By taking charge of the national team, Ancelotti, who led Brazil to win the World Cup five times, with the last victory dating back to 2002, changed his mind about retiring from coaching after his tenure with Real Madrid. He returned to the club in the summer of 2021 for a second experience with the Spanish giants, following his first stint from 2013 to 2015.

Hiring a foreign coach like Ancelotti is an attempt by Brazil to win the World Cup for the first time since 2002 and forget the disappointment of their last three participations, especially in 2014 when they were eliminated on home soil in the semi-finals with a historic 7-1 defeat against Germany. This was followed by quarter-final exits in the subsequent two editions against Belgium (1-2 in 2018) and Croatia (on penalties in 2022).

To compensate for these disappointments and lift the World Cup for the sixth time in their history in 2026, Brazil has turned to a distinguished coach who made history in Europe as the first coach to win the top five leagues (Italy, England, France, Germany, and Spain).

The Brazilian Football Confederation hopes to benefit from Ancelotti's personality, as he is known for his close relationship with his players. This aspect was emphasized by the President of the Brazilian Football Confederation in a recent interview with the "beIN Sports" network, where he said, "We approached him because of his record, but also because he is a good person... Those who have worked with him say he is open-minded, knowledgeable, and appreciates Brazilian football."

Certainly, Ancelotti's relationship with three Brazilians currently playing for Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior, Rodrigo, and Éder Militão, will have a positive impact on the South American team, with Neymar remaining its star player until further notice.

In an interview with Brazilian channel "BandSports" last month, Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar touched on the possibility of hiring Ancelotti, stating that he is the "best coach in the world."

Vinicius Junior will be one of the key players on whom Ancelotti will rely in his Brazilian mission, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding Neymar's (31 years old) future with the national team.

 

AFP