International Football
Carlo Ancelotti Happy To Choose Real Madrid Over Brazil –
Carlo Ancelotti said that he wants to remain at Real Madrid beyond 2026 after the Italian inked a two-year contract extension at the Spanish La Liga giants last week.
The 64-year-old, whose previous contract was due to expire at the end of June, has been at Real since 2021, having previously managed the club from 2013 to 2015.
He has won one league title with Real, along with two Champions League trophies and two Club World Cups.
“My contract was up on June 30. The club has decided to do it now because they’re happy with our work,” Ancelotti told reporters on Jan 2 ahead of a home game against Mallorca.
“I don’t know if it will be my last spell as a coach. I don’t know what will happen once I finish here. I might still be here in 2026, depending on how successful I am.
“I’d like to be Madrid coach until 2026, and hopefully I can continue to be here in 2027 and 2028 because I want to stay here.”
Prior to signing the extension, Ancelotti had been linked with a move to Brazil’s national team, with ex-Brazilian Football Association (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues having said he was the preferred candidate.
It had also been reported last July that he would become the first foreigner to coach Brazil in almost 60 years, taking over Tite who departed after the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but Ancelotti said staying at Real had always been his priority.
“I was proud (to be considered), everyone knows that I had contact with the president of the Brazilian federation but it was all dependent on my situation with Real Madrid and that was all clear,” he added.
“Ednaldo is not the president right now and everything has gone the way I wanted because I’m able to stay here. But I want to thank him for the affection and interest he showed towards me. Thinking about being the Brazil coach was exciting, but I don’t know if they will want me in 2026.
“I don’t know if they will be happy with this decision.”
Ancelotti has won the Champions League four times – including twice with AC Milan.
He has also won domestic league titles with Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain, becoming the first manager ever to win the championship in Europe’s top five leagues.
–AFP/Reuters
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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