When Carlo Ancelotti flew into Rio de Janeiro before being unveiled as Brazil’s first foreign manager in a century, the pilot of his private jet banked towards the statue of Christ the Redeemer.
‘Carlo, Cristo is blessing you, to bring us the sixth star!’ said Diego Fernandes, the entrepreneur who brokered the deal.
Ancelotti must have wondered where that divine favour had gone when, at this month’s World Cup draw in Washington DC, Brazil were handed anything but a heavenly pathway – a group containing Morocco, Scotland and Haiti, with the prospect of England in a quarter-final. Before that, a probable last-32 tie against Netherlands or Japan and then Norway in the last 16. Cristo’s wingspan, it seemed, did not reach the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Then there was the geography – group games in New York, Philadelphia and Miami, each without the comfort of air-conditioning. The East Coast was the route Italy took to the final at USA ’94 when Ancelotti was assistant boss, but he would have preferred slightly cooler climes in the West. The Italians lost to Brazil in Pasadena and, 32 years on, that is why Ancelotti has been hired at great expense – to deliver the sequel for the Selecao. Not that his appointment was universally welcomed when Fernandes set about making it happen.
‘I had the idea after Brazil drew with Venezuela last November,’ Fernandes tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘Brazil were so bad! There was confusion and no style. They needed more control. Vinicius Jr could play very well in Madrid, but not in the national team.
‘I thought, “If we bring Carlo, this is the solution, the players will trust him”. He is No.1, the best. But it was difficult. Brazilian guys say, “We’ve won five World Cups with Brazilian managers, we don’t need an international coach!”.’
Carlo Ancelotti departed Real Madrid to manage Brazil last summer after four years in charge of Los Blancos
When he travelled to Rio de Janeiro for an unveiling, the Italian’s plane flew over Christ the Redeemer
Undeterred, Fernandes reached out to Davide Ancelotti, Carlo’s son. But his secret weapon was Zico, the legendary Brazil No.10 who would form part of his charm offensive.
‘People love Zico in Brazil,’ says Fernandes. ‘He played against Carlo in Serie A. He played in that beautiful game against Italy in 1982. I knew his words could protect Carlo and help with my plan to make him our next manager.’
With Zico on board and Davide agreeing to make an introduction to his father, the wheels were turning and private jets being fuelled. Ancelotti, however, was still in charge of Real Madrid with more than a year on his contract. Amid talk he could seek a new challenge 12 months early, there was soon competition for his services.
‘Carlo was receiving a lot of offers, including Saudi Arabia,’ says Fernandes. ‘This caused me a lot of stress, because Saudi Arabia has a lot of money! A famous soccer player, who played under Carlo, gave him an invite to Saudi.’
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s best efforts, Ancelotti was tempted more so by Brazil. Fernandes commissioned a film crew to make a video.
‘The challenge was to give Carlo a connection to Brazilian soccer,’ he says. ‘I wanted him to know that soccer in Brazil is a religion. I sent the guys to the favela, where children played soccer on the video. I included the final in 1998 when we lost to France, the 7-1 semi-final defeat versus Germany in 2014, the fans crying. The emotion. The intensity. In the final scene of the video, the children of the favela say, “Carlo Ancelotti, we’re waiting for you. You are the best coach for our national team!”.’
It was during a meeting at Ancelotti’s Madrid home in spring of this year that Fernandes knew he had his man. The five-time Champions League-winning manager cooked his speciality, pesto pasta, but it was the lure of Brazil that was simmering.
‘When he watched the video, he started to tell the history of Brazilian soccer to his wife, Mariann,’ recalls Fernandes. ‘In this moment, when I saw his eyes, I knew, “Carlo is coming!”.’
Under Ancelotti, the Selecao – including Vinicius Junior – have been revitalised
Ancelotti was assistant manager of Italy when they reached the World Cup final in 1994
Now, more than 30 years later, his aim is to go one step further with a talented Brazilian squad
Zico’s involvement also proved influential, though Ancelotti’s memories of him were not exclusively fond.
‘When Carlo was a young player at Roma, his coach told him, “Carlo, tomorrow, you’re playing against Udinese and Zico”,’ says Fernandes. ‘Carlo told me he did not sleep all night. He said, “But for 85 minutes, I stayed man-to-man with him. I was man-of-the-match. Then, in one second, I lost him. He took the ball on his chest and scored a goal to win the game”. That is what Zico could do, just one second.’
Finalising the deal for Ancelotti was not without its momentary glitches either.
‘On the day I spoke with Carlo about the detail of the contract, there was a bug in the internet in Portugal and Spain,’ reveals Fernandes. ‘There was a blackout. Carlo’s lawyers were in Madrid and Carlo and I were in London. All day, we could not get sign-off. It was not a good day! In one hour, everything was changing. His telephone was ringing a lot!’
Finally, on May 12, it was confirmed that Ancelotti had signed a deal with the Brazilian Football Confederation until the end of next summer’s World Cup. He and Fernandes flew to Rio a fortnight later, brushing past the city’s famous guardian as well as the Maracana Stadium.
‘A lot of people were checking the computer (FlightRadar) for when the plane was coming,’ says Fernandes. ‘When we arrived at the airport, there were so many people. They did not believe it was happening. It was a big party. If you have a chance to win the World Cup, you have more chance with Carlo. They know that now.’
Achieve that sixth star, and it will be Carlo and not Cristo the Brazilians are worshipping.
