Carlo Ancelotti has revealed exactly why “extraordinary” Manchester United midfielder Casemiro was recalled to the Brazil national team after the Paraguay match on Wednesday.
The 66-year-old Italian manager left Real Madrid at the end of the 2024-25 campaign and Carlo Ancelotti was appointed Brazil manager in May.
Ancelotti replaced Dorival Junior in the role for the national team after his predecessor was sacked in March following Brazil’s 4-1 defeat to Argentina.
The former Real Madrid manager wasted no time calling Casemiro back to international duty after working with the midfield maestro in the Spanish capital.
Casemiro was a key midfield influence under Brazil manager Ancelotti at Madrid and the 33-year-old Brazilian midfielder enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Los Blancos.
The Manchester United midfielder had not appeared for the Brazil team since 2023 ahead of Ancelotti making the big call to bring Casemiro back into the fold.
READ MORE: Casemiro shows monster mentality with powerful nine-word message after Brazil’s win vs Paraguay in World Cup qualifier
Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images
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Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti reacted to Casemiro’s Brazil performance vs Paraguay in the World Cup qualifier
Brazil punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in North America after Carlo Ancelotti’s men defeated Paraguay in a 1-0 victory on Wednesday.
Matheus Cunha impressed Manchester United fans after the Wolves ace set up Vinicius Junior for the first-half opener – and winner – against Paraguay.
Casemiro took his place in the heart of midfield for the World Cup qualifying match and the United star saw out the full 90 minutes against Paraguay on the day.
Brazil are now third in the South American World Cup qualifying table and the five-time World Cup champions are level on points with second-place Ecuador.
Speaking after the match at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti praised Casemiro for his midfield performance.
“I am Italian [laughs]. The team did not concede any goals thanks to their excellent defensive performance, and the midfield players made an extraordinary effort, like Casemiro,” he said, as per Yalla Shoot.
“I am happy about that too, but also because we are in the World Cup.”
READ MORE: Vinicius Junior sends perfect three-word message to Matheus Cunha after Man Utd signing’s impact for Brazil vs Paraguay
Man Utd midfielder Casemiro showed his key quality for Carlo Ancelotti in Brazil’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win vs Paraguay
Casemiro played in Ancelotti’s first match as Brazil manager and the ex-Madrid star started and played the full 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw against Ecuador last Friday.
Ancelotti said at his post-match press conference that Brazil international Casemiro showed his fundamental strength of being a “safety” mechanism for his side.
“Casemiro is a safety for the team,” he explained.
“His quality and leadership are very strong. He is a leader, like Danilo, Marquinhos, and Alisson… not only because of his quality but also because of his behaviour.
“I don’t want to mention Raphinha; I will mention everyone. They all did a good job. We did not face any problems managing the locker room. Everything went well.”
Casemiro was on international duty with Brazil this summer alongside fellow United teammate Antony and soon-to-be Red Devils teammate Matheus Cunha.