Real Madrid News
Brazil chief reaffirms interest in hiring Carlo Ancelotti: “He’s our favourite”
Carlo Ancelotti’s future has been a hot topic in the footballing world for a while now, with the Real Madrid coach unsure whether or not he is going to continue at Santiago Bernabeu beyond the summer.
Although recent reports suggest Real Madrid have renewed their faith in Ancelotti, following the club’s strong showing in the Champions League, Los Blancos are also keeping tabs on the managerial market.
In the midst of all this, Ancelotti’s links with the Brazilian national team have dissipated but have not died at all. There is still a possibility the Italian tactician may join the Selecao in the summer, especially if he is sacked by Real Madrid.
To that end, Brazilian FA president Ednaldo Rodrigues has reaffirmed Brazil’s interest in hiring Ancelotti, even branding him as their ‘favourite’ option.
“I am not saying Ancelotti has an offer from us, but we are checking if he wants to come. We have a plan A and I say it for the first time honestly. There is no point in hiding this, he is our favorite,” he said (h/t Diario SPORT).
Rodrigues went on to praise Ancelotti for his experience and man-management while highlighting his reported love for Brazilian players.
“The players who work with him or have worked with him say he is a very open and educated person, very valuable and loves Brazilian players and the football in our country. We have taken this into consideration,” he added.
Ancelotti has indeed enjoyed a great deal of success nurturing Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in recent years. He also played a big role in the acquisition of Endrick, who is set to join Real Madrid in 2024.
In addition, Ancelotti has experience managing some of the most decorated Brazilian footballers, so there is no wonder why the Selecao have yet to consider defeat in their bid to hire the Italian this summer.
But with Real Madrid still in contention to win a double, Ancelotti’s future at Real Madrid certainly cannot be ruled out.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has triggered a wave of massive establishment within the country so much so that the league has approached players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos and even Karim Benzema.
Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid is imminent and if a report from Diaro AS is to be believed, the Frenchman contacted his former Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, to ask him for information about the Saudi league, living conditions and other teams.
All this because it is said that the legendary Frenchman has received a lucrative offer from the newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. As reported before, the star striker will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract with the Saudi team.
At the moment, the Saudi government has approved all of Benzema’s requests and while it is said that he can join the team of his choice, Al Ittihad’s recent flirting had made them absolute favourites.
That said, the transfer may have taken a u-turn recently, as Benzema spoke about staying at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
“Speak to the fans? Speak about what? Why should I speak of the future if I’m in Madrid?”, Benzema said.
“It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.”
In a recent turn of events, Helder Costa openly spoke about Benzema’s arrival, saying that his team is ‘excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner.’ As if that is not enough, a club fan also showed a Karim Benzema edit on the big screen during their title celebrations.
Meanwhile, since the transfer is not confirmed, Real Madrid continue to be uninformed of Benzema’s decision. And this remains a major problem for the team from the capital city as their summer transfer plan hinges on the continuity of the Frenchman.
At the moment, the team is said to be closing in on the signing of Joselu from Espanyol. However, it must be noted that the forward will only be arriving on a season-long loan as Madrid already have big plans for the summer of 2024, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe both lined up.
