Although he said that the Real Madrid could be his last job, Carlo Ancelotti let himself be seduced by the dream of winning the sixth championship with the Brazilwhere he will take over with the “quiet leadership” that made him win several titles and the affection of everyone he went through.
The legendary Italian coach, at the age of 64, still has the strength to face a challenge with enormous pressure: Brazil has not won a World Cup since 2002 and Brazilians’ lack of interest in the national team has increased.
That was the way to regain the attention of a society with a refined taste for football, also shaken by the recent victories of its arch-rival, the now three-time world champion Argentina.
The decision was bold: to hire for the road towards the United States, Canada and Mexico-2026 a coach who holds 26 titles, including unique feats: four Champions League and the five main leagues in Europe.
The Italian will make his debut for the national team in the 2024 Copa America, which will be played in the United States, as soon as his contract with the Whites ends.
Until then, the Brazilian Fernando Diniz will be the coach of Brazil.
“We went looking for him for his achievements and for being a worthy person,” Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), recently told the beIN Sports network.
Hiring ‘Il Mister’ was Ednaldo’s old desire to replace Tite (2016-22), who in 2014 traveled to Madrid to meet the Italian and update his knowledge.
In Brazil, the coach will present his incontestable numbers and the human base on which he based his success: “Quiet Leadership”, name of the book, published in 2016, in which he explains his work philosophy.
“Your job is not to motivate talent – they must find it within themselves – your job is not to demotivate them,” he says.
“Teddy bear”
Born in Reggiolo, in northern Italy, since the days when he wore short shorts and was a fierce midfielder, Ancelotti played surrounded by great stars, mainly in the unforgettable AC Milan (1987-92) commanded by coach Arrigo Sacchi.
In that outstanding team, where he won two Champions Leagues (1989 and 1990), his reassuring presence on the field and in the locker room was already recognized. Former defender Paolo Maldini defined him as a “teddy bear”.
“Every time you are with him you feel he is a calm person, who is in control of his emotions and feelings,” said Pep Guardiola, his rival in Europe.
Shortly after hanging up his boots, in 1992, Ancelotti was hired by Sacchi to be his assistant coach in the Italian team that lost the 1994 World Cup final, in the United States, on penalties, precisely to Brazil by Romário and Bebeto.
After finishing runners-up, he began his successful coaching career on his own, which took him to Reggiana, Parma, Juventus, Milan and Napoli in Italy, Chelsea and Everton in England, PSG in France, Bayern Munich in Germany and Real Madrid, where he lived his most successful stage (ten titles).
In a game where tactical revolutions and the figure of the coach gained relevance, Ancelotti appealed to the value of simplicity as a weapon of triumph.
The best of the world”
Ancelotti will also be able to count on his excellent group management, which in Brazil will serve to deal with the recurrent injuries and controversies of star Neymar, if the number 10 chooses to continue his career in the national team.
“In football everything is already made up, there are no secrets. At the end of the day, being simple is best,” he told Fox Sports last year.
Almost three decades after making his debut on the sidelines, the gray man with the indomitable eyebrows and “friend” of his players will command a national team for the first time.
Five-time champions are not completely alien to him. In addition to taking the world title away from him in 1994, several Brazilians were key players in his teams.
Kaká, the last Brazilian to win a Ballon d’Or (2007), helped him win five trophies at Milan, and Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Éder Militão another six in his second spell in Madrid, which started in 2021.
“He’s the best coach in the world,” said Vini, whom Ancelotti protected from racist attacks and turned him into one of the best players today.
The challenge of achieving glory postponed his desire to retire to spend more time with his second wife, Mariann Barrena, and their grandchildren. His son Davide, an assistant at Real Madrid, follows in his footsteps.
Lover of good food and wine, and owner of a fine sense of humor, Ancelotti refuses to classify setbacks in sport and in life as failures.
“When you have a clear conscience for having tried to do your best, you will never be a failure”, he defends.
But in Brazil, the country that has won the Cup the most times, the fans will not accept any result below the world title after 24 years.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
