Carlo Ancelotti wants Brazil to play like his Real Madrid team did in the 2023-24 season when they won LaLiga and the Champions League.
The Italian coach, who recently parted with Madrid following a disappointing season, took charge of Brazil’s national team this week.
“My Brazil will play like Real Madrid, but not like Real Madrid this year, rather like Real Madrid last year,” he told Marca. “That’s what I want.”
Madrid were eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals, beaten by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, and finished runners-up to Barça this past season, a contrast to an unforgettable 2024 that saw Los Blancos equal their best ever-year by lifting five titles.
“The results were not as expected,” he said of his departure from Madrid. “The team’s play wasn’t good either. It was bound to happen.”
Brazil have not won a World Cup since 2002 and Ancelotti is inheriting a side that has struggled to get results and deliver good performances.
Despite the national team having been eliminated seven times before the semifinals since 209 at tournaments held outside Brazil, Ancelotti is optimistic.
“It’s the best national team in the world,” he said. “That’s not just my opinion, it’s the five stars on their shirts.
“No other national team can match them. Now I’ve got the challenge of winning the sixth. I fully accept the challenge of bringing the sixth World Cup to Brazil, but to do so we need the whole country to be behind us.
“Brazil has to get behind the national team, the players need to feel supported, they need to be humble and stick together. Without humility, there’s not much you can do.
“The World Cup is different from any club title. It’s a feeling of having a country behind you, and that’s why it’s always appealed to me. I’m here to make Brazil champions again, I accept that and I’m convinced we can do it.”
At Brazil, Ancelotti will work with several players he has coached at club level, including Vinícius Júnior.
Vinícius played for Ancelotti at Madrid and finished as the Ballon d’Or runner-up in October. The forward has scored only six goals in 39 appearances since making his Brazil debut in 2019, but Ancelotti is convinced he will shine for the national team.
“He is extraordinary, fantastic, hardworking, a fighter like few others,” Ancelotti said.
“The Brazilian player is very fond of the national team, and that can affect his natural thinking, putting a lot of pressure on him to do well, which doesn’t allow him to make mistakes. I am convinced that he will give his best for the national team. He is one of the best in the world. He is always there.
“His best will soon come out.”
