Gilberto Silva conceded he would have preferred a Brazilian in charge but vowed to give his backing to Carlo Ancelotti after the Italian was named the new Seleção boss.
Having been linked for many years, Ancelotti was finally confirmed as the next Brazil boss, becoming the first foreigner in the country’s history to take charge of the five-time World Cup winners.
Following confirmation of what is also Ancelotti’s first international job in his 30-year managerial career, Silva vowed to support the Italian but admitted he would have preferred a Brazilian at the helm.
“I just support him,” Silva exclusively told Football365. “Before he has been appointed, I was asked a lot about it, ‘who should be the next Brazilian manager?’
“I would prefer to have a Brazilian one honestly. I have said that a couple of times, but Carlo is somebody we respect, somebody we believe is capable of doing a great job and I hope that everyone embraces him and supports him.
“I’m going to support him, of course, because it doesn’t matter if he was a Brazilian, Portuguese, Argentina or Italian as it is now, as a coach.
“As a Brazilian fan you help support the team, support the manager, and I’ll be there to support him, and hope that they create a good vibe around him and a good vibe with the players, good connections to be successful again.”
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Despite Brazil’s illustrious history, winning the World Cup more times than any other country, it has been 23 years since their last triumph and they have only won one Copa America since 2008. Their most recent participation in the World Cup in 2022 saw them reach the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Croatia. Archrivals Argentina went on to win the trophy.
In their announcement of the appointment, the Brazilian Football Confederation described it as a “landmark moment of the coming together of two icons” with Ancelotti officially taking over on May 26. The Italian’s first task is to guide Brazil to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Brazil currently fourth in the CONMEBOL standings, 10 points behind leaders Argentina.
Silva was speaking to Football365 from the Emirates Stadium for the OMO Varzenal Cup which saw teams from Brazil compete on the Arsenal pitch. For more updates on the campaign, including the launch of KondZilla’s documentary follow @omobrasil