Former Arsenal Standout Makes Bold Claim About Brazil's FA Hiring Carlo Ancelotti

Ancelotti will become the first foreign coach to take complete charge of the Brazil men’s national team since 1925. While the Italian certainly has the pedigree to lead Brazil, former Arsenal standout and World Cup winner Gilberto Silva said he preferred to see a Brazilian in charge.

Me, in particular—if you ask me, Gilberto—I would prefer to have a Brazilian manager. But obviously, you respect Carlo so much. People accept the idea, and everybody is looking forward to seeing him work and put Brazil in the right position.Gilberto Silva

The last foreign manager that Brazil’s FA appointed was Uruguay’s Ramón Platero, who led the team in four matches that year. Since then, only two other foreign coaches — Portugal’s Joreca and Argentina’s Filpo Núñez — have had brief stints in charge, both in non-competitive games.

Despite his preference, Silva, who spent seven years with Arsenal, does see the positives of having Ancelotti on the sidelines. Moreover, the veteran manager can be a father figure to the squad and protect them when facing media criticism, which has been a lot in recent years.

The soon-to-be former Real Madrid manager will reunite with Vinicius Jr., and one of his main tasks will be to get the best out of the Brazilian star, just as he did in Spain. All eyes will be on Ancelotti when he takes the sidelines for Brazil next month in World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Colombia.