Paulo Roberto Falcão, 71, is one of the enthusiastic people with the hiring of Italian Carlo Ancelotti, 65, to direct the Brazilian team. Old friend of the Italian, he sees in him the qualities necessary to be successful in the national yellow team.
The Santa Catarina had Ancelotti as a companion throughout his time in Rome, in the days of a player, from 1980 to 1985. After that, he kept regular contact with the one who is now the commander of Brazil towards the 2026 World Cup.
According to Falcão, Carlo, as he makes a point of calling, will know how to deal with thorny situations, on and off the pitch. Good humor and humility, bet, will be the weapons to solve problems.
“It is a leadership I see in Carlo,” the former player told Sheet. “He’s a spectacular guy, nothing has changed at all. He is not affected by everything he has gained. I hope he can do a good job, and will certainly do.”
How did your relationship with Carlo Ancelotti began?
I always call him Carlo. When I arrived in Rome in August 1980, he was also coming from Parma. He changed absolutely nothing, except the victories [risos]. But nothing has changed anything, especially humility. He is not affected by everything he has gained. He treats everyone in the same way, he is a spectacular guy. As a coach, I don’t need to say anything. Won everything everywhere you worked. So, I really liked his coming. I think Brazil will win with it, just as it will gain the experience of working in Brazil. I hope he can do a good job, and will certainly do.
He will have a difference routine of what he had in the clubs, with a few days of training. Can this disturb?
Everything in life has pros and cons, right? All. In the Brazilian team, he chooses the players he wants to make the scheme he wants. In clubs, it is often not possible. He said he worked with 34 Brazilians, so there was always this relationship. He will have fewer days to prepare for the first game, then comes another match, also a few days, but he has many talented players. You will be able to organize the scheme you want, because the players available can look for what he asks for. He is very intelligent.
He really asks, he has the dialogue, he is not the owner of the truth, despite having the ability to be
Did he always have affection for Brazil?
Always had this relationship. He knows, likes Brazil, likes Brazilian football. When I arrived in Italy, I remember that he sang to me the song of “My Friend Charlie Brown”, by Benito Di Paula. You should not know, because you are new, but it was very successful. And I sang to him “Champagne”, by Peppino Di Capri. At that time, there was an exchange of Brazilian music with the Italian, but that stopped. So he stayed with one, and I, with the other. He started to know a little of Brazil because of the music. We had a friendly against Sao Paulo in 1984, but he didn’t play because he was hurt if I’m not mistaken. He was also on the Arrigo Sacchi commission in 1994, when Brazil won the tetra. That was the year that made a difference, because Brazil has five World Cups and Italy has four.
Was there a proposal for you to take a post on his commission?
There was no proposal. We haven’t talked either. He is coming now, he has to be comfortable doing things in the time he understands.
You have said that Ancelotti is a guy who knows how to dismantle controversy. This seems like a necessary feature today, with everything that happens in the CBF.
This is a very good feature he has, which I think he took with the balconies of Nils Liedholm [jogador e técnico sueco morto em 2007]our coach in Rome. He had this ability to dismantle any problem on time, making people laugh despite a serious matter. It is a leadership I see in Carlo. Nils, at the time he played at Milan, faced Puskás, who was from Real Madrid. It is a story that I count on my lectures.
The puskás was the messi of that time. He scored three goals in the game, and Nils said, “I marked him well.” The reporter replied, “But he scored three goals.” And Nils countered, “But it only did three, right?” Then people fell into the laugh. Carlo is like this. Of course, when he needs it, he goes to the confrontation, but it is very difficult, very rare. Of course I say that for what I see, after all I’m five or six years older, so I couldn’t be a player of him [risos].
You have already done some exchanges with him, even last year at Real Madrid. Was it the last date?
That was the last time we saw each other. It was in the game between Real Madrid and Manchester City, which ended in 3-3 [em 9 de abril de 2024, pelas quartas de final da Liga dos Campeões]. I had spent time with them there, I believe between a week and nine days, and he asked me if I thought what was done in training was applied during the game. He really asks, has the dialogue, is not the owner of the truth, despite having the ability to be. I’ve been to the clubs where he worked several times. His commission is very good. And he is very happy to come to Brazil, which is the most important.
Just over a year to the World Cup. Should Ancelotti build the selection thinking about Neymar or is it time to look more at players like Vinicius Junior and Raphinha?
This is a situation that depends on him, depends on Neymar. He has all the power. He has to want. I am not saying that he does not want or is not able for one reason or another. I do not live with Neymar to have an opinion. I don’t like to give an opinion on things that I don’t see and don’t follow.
I know his quality. This is undeniable. Although he’s not playing [com regularidade, com seguidas lesões]not showing this quality, he has. Deep down, it has a lot of quality, we know. Only that is not enough. It has to have physical conditioning, it has to have an intensity that football requires, even having a lot of talent. I hope it gets ready. I hope he can understand that football, besides quality, besides inspiration, is a lot of perspiration.
X-ray: Paulo Roberto Falcão, 71
1953, Santa Catarina-He is a former player, former coach and football commentator. He began his career at Internacional in 1973, also acting by Rome (Italy) and São Paulo, where he retired in 1986. He played in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups for the Brazilian National Team. For the period in Italy, he became known as ‘King of Rome’.
