{"id":641074,"date":"2026-05-13T18:23:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/641074\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T18:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:23:08","slug":"carlo-ancelotti-neymars-call-up-depends-only-on-him-and-what-he-shows-on-the-pitch-carlo-ancelotti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/641074\/","title":{"rendered":"Carlo Ancelotti: \u2018Neymar\u2019s call-up depends only on him and what he shows on the pitch\u2019 | Carlo Ancelotti"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is Carlo Ancelotti<\/a> an ambitious man? The Italian leans back and smiles. \u201cMe? I\u2019m not ambitious. Why? Why are you asking that?\u201d The reason for the question is simple: the 66-year-old is one of the most successful managers ever, with five Champions League wins and league titles in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. But he still wants more. Last May he was appointed Brazil head coach with one objective: to win the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not obsessed with winning,\u201d Ancelotti says. \u201cWhat I have is a passion for enjoying the moments that football has given me. I\u2019m not obsessed with winning the World Cup, but I have the pleasure and passion to enjoy the moment I\u2019m living in, leading the most important national team in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having played in the World Cup, this is the first time Ancelotti will take charge of a team at the tournament. His task is to put Brazil back on top of the world and break a drought that goes back to 2002<\/a>, which equals the longest period the nation has gone without winning the World Cup since the lean period from 1970 to 1994. Ancelotti does not seem fazed though and one of the reasons is his passion for the sport. He may have had 47 years at the very top \u2013 16 as a player and 31 as a head coach \u2013 but what is striking during our long interview is that he has lost none of his enthusiasm for his job. He is here because he is in love with football.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t live without football,\u201d he says. \u201cIf I\u2019m no longer on the pitch, I\u2019ll be there as a fan watching the match. For me, watching a match on the TV isn\u2019t work. It\u2019s a pleasure. I really love cinema. For me, football is like the pleasure of watching a film. It\u2019s the same feeling. The day I stop working in football, I\u2019ll still watch in the same way, without any problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many players consider Ancelotti to be the best coach they have worked with; Kak\u00e1, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior to name a few. So what makes him so special? \u201cI really don\u2019t know,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s my attitude, the way I behave towards the players, the respect I show them as people. I place great value on building those personal relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA manager\u2019s job is very difficult because you have to manage so many things. There\u2019s the relationship with the players, with the club, with the press, with the fans. There are so many aspects of this job that you have to manage. The most challenging of those is the relationship with people \u2013 and it\u2019s also the most important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018The most important thing I learned at Real Madrid, and which I use in Brazil, is high standards.\u2019 Carlo Ancelotti began his role as Brazil head coach in May 2025 after four seasons at Real Madrid. Photograph: Ant\u00f3nio Lacerda\/EPA<\/p>\n

Despite all the trophies he has won, Ancelotti is at times dismissed as a \u201cman-management coach\u201d, someone who is successful because he is good with people but perhaps not with tactics. He pays no attention to those claims. \u201cI don\u2019t win titles just because of my relationship with the players,\u201d he says. \u201cThe [good] relationships I have with players help because it allows you to get the most out of the player. Sometimes even more than the maximum. But that is just one part of the game. It doesn\u2019t matter to me whether people say I am or I am not a good tactician. All I can say is that I know all aspects of the game very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ancelotti will extend his contract with Brazil<\/a> until the 2030 World Cup, by which time he will be 70. The oldest manager in the Premier League is David Moyes at 63. In Brazil\u2019s top flight, only three incumbents are into their seventh decade and all of them are younger than Ancelotti. \u201cFootball continues to change,\u201d he says. \u201cI try to adapt to what\u2019s happening. Football today is more analytical, much more intense, more physical. Some tactics, particularly defensive ones, aren\u2019t as important today as they were 10 years ago. The new generation of coaches focus more on attacking play than on defence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite only being in charge of Brazil for a short time, Ancelotti believes he has a good feel for the nation and its footballers, having worked with more than 40 of them throughout his career. That experience played a part in Ancelotti getting the job. \u201cI really like the Brazilian spirit,\u201d he says. \u201cBrazilians have a special love for the yellow jersey. This special love for the national team is very much a Brazilian trait. In other countries, the national team isn\u2019t as important as it is in Brazil. <\/p>\n

\u201cBrazil has preserved its own culture. It\u2019s a country that knows how to value the importance of family and religion. These are things that Europe has lost. In sport, Europeans don\u2019t have the same love for the national team shirt. I really admire the joy of the Brazilian people, the energy the country has and the beauty of Rio de Janeiro. This is very clear, especially at carnival. I really like Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I really admire the joy of the Brazilian people, the energy the country has and the beauty of Rio de Janeiro.\u2019 Photograph: Lucas Figueiredo\/The Guardian<\/p>\n

Ancelotti mentioning religion is significant. Like Italy, more than half of the Brazilian population is Catholic, with faith guiding principles and providing lessons in life. \u201cReligion has taught me good things like how to conduct myself in life, how to respect others,\u201d Ancelotti says. \u201cI am Catholic and religion has been very important to me and has taught me to be a good person in the world.\u201d Does he pray for the injury problems to stop? \u201cHa, yes,\u201d Ancelotti says with a laugh, before turning more serious. \u201cIt is a concern. We\u2019ve already had three major injuries. I hope we don\u2019t have any more problems before the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

The country ranked sixth in the world have already lost \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o and Rodrygo, with Est\u00eav\u00e3o a serious doubt. It has further complicated Ancelotti\u2019s work. He has had only 10 games in charge of the team, finishing with five wins, two draws and three defeats. Within the jigsaw of finding his optimal starting XI, Ancelotti is trying to repeat what he did at Real Madrid<\/a> in 2024 \u2013 making Vin\u00edcius the best player in the world. With Brazil, the 25-year-old has not been able to shine in the same way. He has eight goals in 47 international games. But Ancelotti knows how to galvanise the forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, the responsibility he carries for Brazil is huge, especially recently,\u201d Ancelotti says. \u201cThis responsibility can be a burden for him. Our job in the national team is to take some of that weight off his shoulders so he can play with joy, energy and all the qualities he possesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see Vin\u00edcius as I saw him at Real Madrid: a spectacular player and a spectacular person who can win a match on his own. He\u2019ll be very important for Brazil at the World Cup. But being the No 1? The star player? We don\u2019t need a No 1. We can\u2019t focus everything on just one player. We must think as a team. That\u2019s the only way to win the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ancelotti finds himself in a different situation to most recent Brazil coaches, who have handed all the responsibility to Neymar. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward is 34 now and has struggled to stay fit. He may have 79 goals for his country but he has not played a match for the Sele\u00e7\u00e3o since October 2023. The Neymar issue, unsurprisingly, is dominating the discourse in Brazil at the moment. A survey by the Datafolha institute showed that 53% of Brazilians want Neymar at the World Cup, while 34% were against it and 13% remained undecided.<\/p>\n

\u2018I am Catholic and religion has been very important to me and has taught me to be a good person in the world.\u2019 Carlo Ancelotti during a visit to the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Photograph: Rafael Ribeiro\/Brazilian Football Confederation\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The World Cup squad announcement is only days away \u2013 18 May \u2013 and Ancelotti is categorical when the possible inclusion of Neymar is brought up. \u201cNeymar\u2019s call-up depends only on him,\u201d he says. \u201cIt depends on what the player shows on the pitch. That\u2019s a very clear criteria and that is not only for Neymar. With most players you need to assess talent and physical condition. With Neymar we only need to assess his physical condition because his talent is beyond question. It depends on him, not on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another experienced player hoping to be included is the former Chelsea and PSG centre-back Thiago Silva who, at 41, has had a good season at Porto and is hoping to play in his fifth World Cup. \u201cThiago Silva is on the radar, yes,\u201d says Ancelotti. \u201cHe\u2019s been playing very well, he won the Portuguese league and is in a great physical condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeaders are important. Fortunately, this squad has highly respected leaders. Leaders who don\u2019t say much but set a good example, such as Alisson, Casemiro, Marquinhos and Raphinha. In that sense, the squad is in good hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

This will be Ancelotti\u2019s fourth World Cup. He was a player in the Italy team in 1986 and 1990 and was an assistant coach to Arrigo Sacchi the last time the tournament was played in North America, in 1994. Returning to the US after 32 years brings a feeling of happiness and nostalgia to the coach whose team reached the final that year, losing on penalties to \u2026 Brazil.<\/p>\n

Some things have changed \u2013 for the better according to Ancelotti. \u201cIn 1994 the matches were at midday in New York with temperatures of 43C (109F). Now the kick-off times are better. The weather won\u2019t be a problem as it was in 1994.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Ancelotti was appointed, most headlines in Brazil said he had swapped the biggest club in the world for the most important national team. There are similarities, Ancelotti admits, but also many differences. \u201cThey\u2019re different ways of working for a manager,\u201d he says. \u201cBut the most important thing I learned at Real Madrid, and which I use in Brazil, is high standards. When you are demanding you have a better chance of winning. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the world because the club is demanding of everyone who works there. If you are demanding, you get the best out of everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

A dog lover, Ancelotti sees in the animals a haven from the problems of football. \u201cI have three dogs who are in Canada,\u201d he says. \u201cA dog isn\u2019t a person, but it\u2019s more loyal than a person. A dog doesn\u2019t care if you win or lose. They don\u2019t blame you. When you get home, whether you\u2019ve won or lost, the dog doesn\u2019t care. The important thing is that you\u2019re home with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, what will it take for Brazil, who face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in their group, to become world champions? \u201cTalent,\u201d Ancelotti says. \u201cI have a very talented squad. Also, the motivation that this country has to win again after 24 years is enormous. I\u2019m convinced we\u2019re going to have a great World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is Carlo Ancelotti an ambitious man? The Italian leans back and smiles. \u201cMe? I\u2019m not ambitious. Why? Why…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":641075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[403,99],"class_list":["post-641074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=641074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/641075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=641074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=641074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=641074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}