Carlo Ancelotti Takes Centre Stage as Elite Coaches Return to the World Cup Spotlight

The days when the best coaches, managers and tacticians in world football took charge of national teams are long gone.

It was Rinus Michels, widely credited with inventing what came to be known as Total Football, who led the Netherlands to the World Cup final in 1974. Arrigo Sacchi, whose AC Milan side revolutionised the club game in the late 1980s, subsequently led Italy to the World Cup final, where they were defeated on penalties by Brazil in 1994.

There were others too. Celtic legend Jock Stein led Scotland to World Cup qualification in 1985 but tragically died in the dugout as the decisive match was being played. It was Sir Alex Ferguson who took charge of Scotland in 1986 instead, though he refused the opportunity to stay on, choosing instead to head south to Manchester United and embark on a club career that has few parallels.

Sir Bobby Robson, too, was already a legend at Ipswich Town, having won the UEFA Cup in 1980–81 before taking charge of England and leading them to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup.

Modern coaching is so highly rewarded, however, that few of the top names would even consider a stint in charge of a national side. Pep Guardiola may yet take over a national team one day, perhaps Spain, but his best years have been spent at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Jürgen Klopp has often spoken about the prospect of managing a national team, but he too enjoyed his greatest successes at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.

In this context, Carlo Ancelotti leading Brazil into this World Cup in North America is a very big deal indeed. Ancelotti is the most successful coach in Champions League history, having won the competition five times with two different clubs. No one else has won it more than three times. He is also far from being a has-been, with his most recent Champions League triumph coming in 2024.

While there was intense debate over giving the Brazil job to a foreigner, ultimately it was Ancelotti’s personality that clinched the deal for him. He is a non-confrontational figure who nevertheless finds ways to get his methods across. He learned from some of the best in the game, whether that was Nils Liedholm at Roma or Sacchi at Milan.

With a Brazil team full of stars and strong personalities such as Vinícius Júnior and Neymar, man-management will be just as important as any tactical input. And this is where Ancelotti really excels. In a recent interview with Rio Ferdinand, Casemiro spoke of how Ancelotti delayed a dressing-room half-time meeting by saying he was going out for a cigarette. He then returned and calmly addressed the players. That one gesture immediately diffused any tension and made the squad realise what true authority really is.

Ancelotti is not the only elite coach at the World Cup. He may be the biggest name there from a coaching perspective, but he is far from the only one. Thomas Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea in the 2020–21 season and has enjoyed success in both Germany and France. He too will have his eye on the biggest prize with England.

Julian Nagelsmann has already coached Bayern Munich, Germany’s superclub, and expectations are high that he can end a sequence of German underperformance at major tournaments dating back to the 2014 World Cup.

But there is little doubt that, from a coaching standpoint, most eyes will be on the man they call Don Carlo. Brazil have never gone more than 24 years without winning a World Cup, and if there is one person with the strength of personality and the nous to make it happen again, it is Ancelotti.

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