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Former Real Madrid Manager Carlo Ancelotti Offers Honest Take on Taking Brazil Job

Originally posted on Real Madrid CF on SI
By Eduardo Razo | Last updated May 30, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Carlo Ancelotti closed a successful second stint with Real Madrid this past 2024-25 season. After winning two league titles, one Copa del Rey, two Supercopa de España, and two UEFA Champions League trophies, the Italian left as he now has a new challenge: Restoring Brazil’s past FIFA World Cup glory.

Moreover, while Ancelotti has a proven winning track record at the club level, this is the first time he has taken the reins of a national team. It’s also not any national team; it’s a country with five World Cups to their name, so there’s an added pressure.

In an interview with Marca, the former Real Madrid manager provided an honest assessment of why he decided to take on the Brazilian national team job despite lacking experience in international football (via Bernabeu Digital).

It’s easy. It’s the best national team in the world. I’m not the one saying it—the five stars on the shirt say it. No other national team comes close. Now I have the challenge of winning the sixth.Carlo Ancelotti

With Italy having missed the last two FIFA World Cups, many would assume that if Ancelotti was ready to dabble into international football, they would be first in line to want him, well that wasn’t the case.

Italy? Right now, it’s coached by a friend of mine, Spalletti, who’s a fantastic manager. They didn’t call me—something Brazil had already done a while ago. The circumstances lined up now, and I fully embrace the challenge of bringing Brazil its sixth World Cup. But for that, we need the entire country behind us.Carlo Ancelotti

This article first appeared on Real Madrid CF on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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