ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has suggested that Real Madrid could part ways with Carlo Ancelotti if they fail to win the Champions League – and that the Italian would be perfect for the Brazil job if he is available.
What's going on with Real Madrid and Ancelotti?
The Italian has been criticised at times despite his recent success with Real Madrid, with Los Blancos 12 points behind their rivals Barcelona, but they could still retain their European crown in the Champions League.
However, failure in Europe could spell the end of Ancelotti's second reign in charge, but the 63-year-old has been linked with the vacant Brazil role and this could be an option for him.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol claimed that the Brazil job would be perfectly suited to Ancelotti's style of management.
"If they don't win the Champions League, then it seems likely that Real Madrid would move him on, and if that was the case, then I really don't see a better fit from a manager and a team's point of view than Ancelotti with Brazil," he stated.
"I mean, it seems like a match made in heaven. The guy who undoubtedly, in world football, would be the man to take over a team with established players, established stars, mature players.
"From my point of view, it just seems the perfect fit, Ancelotti with Brazil – he would go in there, all he would have to do is look after all the big stars, all the big egos. It wouldn't be about tactics or getting the team going, any of that stuff. It would be completely and utterly, in my opinion, about man-management. And I don't think there's a better man-manager in football."
Should Ancelotti take the Brazil job?
Given all he has accomplished at Real Madrid, and indeed in Europe, having won all the top five leagues as well as multiple Champions Leagues, this could be the perfect opportunity for Ancelotti to venture into international management.
Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Eder Militao all play for Brazil, and with superstars such as Neymar and Casemiro in the side, Ancelotti can use his experience in managing big names.
He has won titles with the likes of AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, having had to manage world superstars at many of his clubs, and if he can get the best out of the Brazil squad, he can help return glory to a nation which has disappointed on the big stage in recent years.
