Zico says Carlo Ancelotti just the man to take Brazil back to the top

Brazilian football legend and current technical director for Japanese club Kashima Antlers Zico poses following an interview with AFP. PHOTO: AFP

UPDATED May 30, 2025, 11:44 AM

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KASHIMA – Carlo Ancelotti’s track record of getting the most out of Brazilian players makes him the best man to take the national team back to the top, football legend Zico told AFP.

Ancelotti has vowed to make five-time World Cup winners Brazil champions again in 2026 after becoming the first non-Brazilian to coach the side in six decades.

He nurtured Brazilians such as Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid, helping to turn the 24-year-old from a figure of fun because of his inconsistent end product into one of the Spanish league’s biggest stars.

Zico is one of the best players ever to pull on Brazil’s iconic yellow shirt and believes Ancelotti’s understanding and experience make him the ideal man for the job.

“Ancelotti played with Brazilian players, he has been a champion coach with Brazilian players at several teams and he’s always praised Brazilian players and put them in a position to help him,” he said in Japan, where the 72-year-old is an adviser to J. League club Kashima Antlers.

“He has a great understanding, he loves football and his approach to football is very much in line with Brazilian thinking. So I think he can be successful for this reason, he can help Brazilian players thrive with his knowledge, his ability and his expertise.”

At 65, Ancelotti has five Champions League titles under his belt and has managed the cream of Europe’s clubs including Real, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

But he is taking the reins of a national team for the first time and becomes Brazil’s first foreign-born manager since 1965.

Zico says Brazilian coaches are no longer in vogue around the world, and believes the Brazilian federation had little choice but to look overseas.

“Now is not a good time for Brazilian coaches,” he said.

“When it comes to the Brazil team, if you’re going to bring someone in, bring the best. As I see it, Brazil brought the best. For me he’s the best, so I don’t see anything to complain about.”

Brazil have yet to clinch their place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and are currently fourth in the South American qualifying table. The top six will qualify automatically.

Ancelotti faces some tricky fixtures in World Cup qualifying, with games at Ecuador and Bolivia still to come.

But Zico believes Brazil can be one of the main contenders for the trophy if they avoid the unthinkable and book their place in the tournament.

“Why not? I don’t see any team in the world today as favourites,” he insisted. AFP

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