O Botafogo is already moving in the market to define Davide Ancelotti’s replacement and has in mind Rafael Guanaes, current coach of Mirassol, the strongest name at the moment. The information was initially released by “Canal do TF” and confirmed by sources linked to the club. The coach pleases the black and white board and is seen internally as plan A to take command of the team.
Guanaes recently renewed his contract with Mirassol until the end of 2026, after a historic season for the São Paulo club. Under his command, Mirassol finished the Brazilian Championship in fourth place and secured a direct place in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, consolidating itself as one of the biggest surprises of the competition.
In the eyes of Botafogo, Rafael Guanaes’ young and growing profile weighs in favor, as well as his ability to extract income even with limited resources. People close to the board highlight that the coach “did a lot with little” at Mirassol, which fits into the current moment of reevaluation of the black and white sports project. Conversations are already underway.
Rafael Guanaes: how much he earns
Guanaes, born in São Paulo (SP) and currently 44 years old, had salary of R$200 thousand before contract renewal. The expansion of the bond resulted in a slightly larger gain, of an undisclosed amount, but which Botafogo is capable of covering, even in unfavorable financial times. THE The idea is to invest around R$1 million in the new coach’s salarynot counting the costs of the technical committee. Within this scenario, the Mirassol coach appears as a viable alternative from both a financial and sporting point of view.
The value of R$1 million would not be attractive for medallions. This week, Tite agreed with Cruzeiro for R$2.5 million per month. However, the amount is tempting for Rafael Guanaes.
Before arriving at Mirassol, in March 2025, Guanaes worked in the youth categories of Athletico-PR, where he interacted with managers who currently hold positions at Botafogo, and played for clubs such as Sampaio Corrêa, Tombense, Novorizontino, Operário-PR and Atlético-GO.
The search for a new coach follows the dismissal of Davide Ancelotti, officially announced by the club last Wednesday (17/12). In a statement, Botafogo announced that, in addition to the coach, physical trainer Luca Guerra and assistants Luis Tevenet and Andrew Mangan also left the club. According to the statement, the decision was taken after internal meetings and the club thanked Ancelotti for his professionalism, stating that he will soon announce the new technical committee.
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Why did Davide Ancelotti leave Botafogo?
The Italian coach’s departure was due to an impasse with the board, which wanted physical trainer Luca Guerra to leave – a decision rejected by Davide, who made it clear that he would not continue in the position if the change was confirmed. Luca Guerra’s work had been questioned internally for months, especially due to difficulties in managing the athletes’ physical load given the intense Brazilian football calendar.
Owner of Botafogo’s SAF, John Textor wants the process to be quick and is working with the possibility of announcing the new coach before the end of the year.
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