One of the most successful club managers of all-time going to coach the most successful national side of all-time should make perfect sense. But Carlo Ancelotti taking charge of Brazil in 2024 is a seismic announcement and feels wrong on so many levels.
Ancelotti, the only coach to have won four Champions League titles and to have led title-winning sides in each of Europe's top-five leagues, has been frequently linked with the Brazil post ever since Tite left the role following the team's chastening quarter-final exit to Croatia in the 2022 World Cup.
Ednaldo Rodrigues, the president of the Brazilian football confederation, had spoken openly about his hope that Ancelotti would become the country's next coach. And the Italian did not exactly hide his enthusiasm for the job either, admitting in April that he was "excited" about the prospect of managing Brazil.
But the timing feels very strange, with Rodrigues having confirmed on Tuesday the appointment of Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz on an interim basis before Ancelotti takes charge right before the Copa America in June 2024.
For Brazil, the objective is clearly the 2026 World Cup, and they believe that Ancelotti is the only man who can help them end their run of dismal results against European sides in the knockout stages. The last time the Selecao beat a European team in a World Cup knockout game was the 2002 final win over Germany.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be left in limbo, knowing that their coach is leaving at the end of the upcoming season, and football's history is littered with examples of players losing motivation when they know their manager is heading elsewhere.
GOAL explains why the announcement comes as such a shock and why it is unlikely to turn out well for anyone in the short term...
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