The Italian coach spoke about the future of the Verdeamarela after the World Cup and confirmed that the forward will not return to the national team. He also explained his plan to boost the new generations
The elimination in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup is still fresh for the Brazilian National Team, but Carlo Ancelotti has already set his sights on what’s next. Two months after the blow suffered against Norway, the Italian coach began to outline a new phase for the Verdeamarela and made a strong statement about Neymar, who had announced the end of his cycle with the national team.
In an interview with CNN Sports, the coach first explained why he decided to include the Santos forward in the World Cup squad, although he practically ruled out any possibility of counting on him again in the future. "Ney deserved to be in the World Cup for his quality, but he has already confirmed that he does not want to return to the national team. He is irreplaceable; he was an extraordinary and unique talent due to his qualities, but it is time to focus on young Brazilians", the coach stated.
Ancelotti ruled out a possible return of Neymar to the Brazil National Team
From that decision, Ancelotti aims to givegreater prominence to a group of players who could become the backbone of the national team in the coming years. The Italian explained that the process will be gradual and that he will seek to observe players of different ages. "Now we must focus on the young players who could be the future: those born in 2004, 2005 and 2006. We have young players born in 2008 with a lot of quality, who are not yet playing, but who can. Now is the time to observe them, taking into account their age and respecting it", he pointed out.
The renewal will not be limited to the senior team. According to the former Real Madrid coach, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is working in coordination with the youth divisions to support the growth of new talents and distribute their participation among different tournaments. "The Olympic Games are very important, as is the Copa América. We must support these young players in their development, because the club's objective for a player does not always coincide with that of the national team", Ancelotti explained.
In this context, the coach also referred to the type of team he intends to build and marked a difference regarding a team that relies exclusively on one figure. "I believe that in modern football, what matters is teamwork, not individual talent. Of course, if you have great individual talent, you have a better chance of winning, but modern football does not tolerate a lack of teamwork. We are working to build a strong team for the future, not to depend on a single great individual talent", he assured.
Ancelotti bets on future generations to raise the current level of Brazil
Brazil now faces the challenge of rebuilding after an elimination that has once again raised questions about the national team. For Ancelotti, however, the setback must be left behind and serve as a starting point for a new phase. "I think the World Cup was a disappointment, we regret it, but now we have to look forward. We have time to prepare a new generation of players", the coach stated, who also hinted that the upcoming friendlies will be important to observe the players looking to earn a spot.
Finally, Ancelotti acknowledged that Brazil is still far from the level it aims to reach and set an ambitious goal for the next cycle. "I believe Brazil should be among the best teams in the world. We did not achieve that, and that is why we need to improve our performance to be better in the next World Cup", he concluded.
