The final wall collapsed after Brazil lost 1-4 to Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers at the end of March. This was a match in which Selecao was overwhelmed by their opponents from start to finish.
Coach Dorival Junior seemed completely helpless. And he was the last card issued by the large group of activists when they thought that Brazil did not need a foreign coach.
With a certain urgency, Brazil began to heat up their long-standing relationship with Carlo Ancelotti. And this Monday, they confirmed the appointment of the Italian strategist.
In some ways, that is controversial. For traditionalists, it would be an insult for a foreign-born coach to be in charge of the only team to win the World Cup five times. And all are managed by Brazilian coaches.
The people who are least interested in all this will definitely be the players. The Brazilian stars are used to working with coaches of different natures. Some big names have worked successfully with Ancelotti.
Vinicius Junior, in particular, has a close relationship with the Italian strategist and will be very happy when Ancelotti takes charge. Casemiro was also a key midfielder for Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
Casemiro has been absent from the national team for the past year, but can be seen as a solution to strengthen the midfield. This is Brazil's biggest problematic region in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
It is reported that Ancelotti has contacted Casemiro and Neymar. It will be interesting to see how Ancelotti handles the future of Brazil's all-time top scorer.
Dorival Junior has also wanted to bring Neymar back, but the plan was scrapped after another injury. With Neymar not returning to the pitch until June 1, it is difficult to see the former Barcelona star appear early next month.
Ancelotti's success with the Brazilian players is just one of the aspects that makes him attractive to the Brazilian Football Federation. For President of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) Ednaldo Rodrigues, Ancelotti has met all the requirements.
Ancelotti was a classy midfielder with World Cup experience, often a plus point for an international coach. As assistant to Arrigo Sacchi for the Italian team at the 1994 World Cup in the US, he has experience in tournaments in terms of management.
And with his extraordinary ability to adapt, he has adapted to many different situations very well. Ancelotti has won championships throughout his major European tournament years, along with a series of achievements in the Champions League.
Brazil have not won the World Cup since 2002. Since then, every campaign has failed as soon as they have to face a European team in the knockout round. Ancelotti is seen as the one who could help them overcome that barrier.
"Putting Carlo Ancelotti in charge of Brazil is not just a strategic move. It is a statement to the world that we are determined to regain our leading position.
He is the best coach in history, and now he is in the best national team on the planet. Let's write new chapters to glorify Brazilian football together," Rodrigues said.
The first chapter will be a race. Brazil needs to call up the squad this week for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay, two teams in good form in South America. Ancelotti will not officially take over until May 26 and will have to quickly catch up with the matches on June 5 and 10.
Ancelotti has two big advantages. First is the expansion of the World Cup. Brazil is fourth in the South American rankings, just one point ahead of sixth-placed Colombia, with a number of tough games ahead.
In any previous qualifiers, Brazil will struggle to secure an official spot. This time, with more qualified teams, things will have to get worse for Selecao to miss the 2026 World Cup. In fact, the Italian strategist may have begun to think about the World Cup.
Another thing is that things can hardly get worse. The performance against Argentina was so bad that it was not worth thinking about a repeat. Brazil is a bad team with good players.
Any other country would be happy to have Brazil as a goalkeeper, centre-back and winger. In his own modesty, Ancelotti will try to hide his shortcomings and focus on his strengths.
