Ancelotti is Brazil's first foreign coach but a return to their roots too

Carlo Ancelotti will become the first foreigner ever to take sole charge of Brazil.

- Jonathan Wilson

On Friday, against Ecuador in Guayaquil, For any major nation to turn to a foreign coach is always an admission of failure. Apart from England, the only other country to turn to a foreign coach after winning the World Cup is Uruguay, which has a population of just 3.5 million, and they didn't do so for half a century after last lifting the trophy (the Argentinians Daniel Passarella in 1999 until 2001 and Marcelo Bielsa from 2023 to today).

But the truth is that Brazilian coaching has been in retreat for some time. The situation is stark. The Brazilian league is by far the wealthiest in South America. Brazilian sides have won the last six Copas Libertadores, and have beaten Brazilian sides in four of those six finals. Yet four of the last six Brazilian titles have been won by Portuguese coaches while Otto Glória, who led Benfica to the 1968 European Cup final, remains the only Brazilian to have been successful at elite club level in Europe. Ancelotti's arrival means no national team in the South American confederation is managed by a Brazilian; seven Conmebol sides are managed by Argentinians. That's not just a linguistic issue; it may be Brazil who have the money, but Argentina have the culture and the knowhow.