CNN
–
One of the most decorated coaches in football, Carlo Ancelotti, will become Brazil’s new manager, the country’s federation announced Monday.
According to the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF), the 65-year-old, now manager of Spain’s giant Real Madrid, will begin his new role on May 26th after the end of the La Liga season.
“He is the greatest coach in history and currently leads the best national team on the planet. Together we will write a new, glorious chapter for Brazilian football,” CBF President Ednald Rodriguez said in a statement.
Ancelotti won 15 trophies last season with two spells at Real Madrid, including doubles from La Liga and Champions League.
However, the club is likely to finish without a major trophy this season, and was beaten 4-3 by fierce rival Barcelona at El Clasico on Sunday.
The final league game of Real Madrid’s season is May 25th, the day before Ancelotti officially began his new job.
Speculation is circulating that current Bayer Leberkusen manager Xabi Alonso announced he left the German club at the end of the season to play. white He is set to take over for the legendary Italian under his first spell Ancelotti at the club.
Meanwhile, Brazil is currently ranked fifth in the world, but has failed to impress at recent tournaments.
choice It was beaten by Croatia in the quarterfinals of the final World Cup in 2022, a tournament won by rival Argentina, and was also disappointed last year after being knocked out by Uruguay in the quarter final stage.
The team’s final manager, Dorival Júnior, was fired in March after a poorly-resulting run that left Brazil fourth in the World Cup qualifying table at Conmebol.
“Having Carlo Ancelotti led Brazil is more than a strategic move. It’s a statement to the world that we are determined to regain the top spot on the podium,” added Rodriguez.
According to CBF, Ancelotti will be the first foreign coach of the Brazilian national team as an Italian.
In that statement, the federation called its next manager a “icon” and thanked Real Madrid for allowing Ancelotti to leave his contract early.
Madrid has yet to publicly comment on Ancelotti’s future.
Ancelotti’s first match as Brazilian manager will face Ecuador in early June before his team faces Paraguay later that month.
However, the main focus will be next year’s World Cup, which is expected to be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the US.
