Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will leave the club at the end of his contract in order to take the reigns at Brazil ahead of the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. After months of speculation, CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues has delivered the coach that he claimed was first choice for Brazilians.
Ancelotti has consistently denied any deal with Brazil, saying he will fulfil his contract with Los Blancos, and he will do so, with his deal up in the summer of 2024. Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz will occupy the job on an interim basis until Ancelotti arrives next summer.
“There are many good coaches in Brazil, and Diniz is one of them. I noticed his innovative approach when he worked at Audax. Later, he went through other clubs maintaining the same game philosophy, without constantly changing it. It has always followed the same method and I really liked its renewal and its tactical applications,” Rodrigues told Diario AS.
“So, he is a coach whose game proposal is quite similar to that of the coach who will take over from after the Copa America, Ancelotti. They have almost the same kind of approach to the game.”
The Italian will be Brazil’s first ever foreign coach in their history. Ancelotti had previously remarked that Real Madrid was likely to be his last job before he retired, but it appears the lure of the Selecao and the World Cup have overpowered him.
For Real Madrid, it is hard to predict the consequences. Generally if a manager’s exit was confirmed ahead of time, it would unermine their authority at the club and in the dressing room. However Ancelotti not only has the respect of much of the dressing room, but will be working with many of his current squad when he leaves for Rio de Janeiro.
