Ancelotti follows Copa do Brasil U-15 run-in, meets youth coaches | OneFootball

Ancelotti meets with youth national team coachesCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

Brazil national team head coach Carlo Ancelotti was at Granja Comary, in Teresópolis, this Thursday (30), to watch matches in the final stage of the first edition of the U-15 Copa do Brasil. Alongside the General Executive Coordinator of the Men’s National Teams, Rodrigo Caetano, and the Men’s National Teams Manager, Cícero Souza, the coach also met with Paulo Victor, head coach of the U-20 team; Carlos Eduardo Patetuci, of the U-17 team; and Guilherme Dalla Déa, of the U-15 team.

The meeting aimed to promote an exchange of experiences among the professionals and expand integration between the different Brazilian national team age groups. The gathering also served to share ideas about the work being done with young players, discuss concepts used by the teams, and bring the coaching staffs closer together throughout the players’ development process.

The visit also included the presence of CBF Competitions Director Julio Avellar and took place during an important period in the calendar for the age-group teams, which will have international commitments in August, with friendlies scheduled at Granja Comary (see here and here).

"It is very important for the athletes to have a national tournament here, so that the players can be identified. These are matches of a good technical level, competitive games, with quality players," said Ancelotti.

Rodrigo Caetano also praised the staging of the U-15 Copa do Brasil and highlighted the integration among Brazil’s national teams.

"This integration is part of the project, of the guidelines of the new CBF, for greater integration between the senior national team and all the youth national teams. We must congratulate this CBF initiative, from the Competitions Directorate and the Presidency, for promoting Brazilian football in such an early category as U-15. I am sure that in a very short time, players who are here at Granja today may even be at the 2030 World Cup," Caetano said.

Ancelotti at Granja, alongside Rodrigo CaetanoCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

For Julio Avellar, the U-15 Copa do Brasil is a success, something reinforced by representatives from several clubs, and it represents a victory for the management of president Samir Xaud and the entire CBF board.

"There are 32 clubs, more than 600 registered players. We managed to take this project, which had existed for a long time, off the shelf and bring this final stage to Granja Comary, the home of the Brazil national team. That carries a lot of symbolism. Another very important point is the presence of our mister here, Carlo Ancelotti, giving value to the competition and already observing players, in a very promising integration between the national teams," Julio Avellar emphasized.

A focus on development

Ancelotti’s schedule with the youth categories continues an approach that has gained momentum since his arrival as national team coach. In April, the coach took part in an event held at Granja Comary focused on developing new talent, which brought together professionals from different areas of youth football (look back here).

The initiative, held in partnership with FIFA, the Men’s National Teams Department, and CBF Academy, created space for the exchange of experiences, the alignment of ideas, and discussion on the development of young players.

Ancelotti returned the affection of young fansCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

Children in euphoria upon seeing the coach: “Ancelotti, I love you!”

A group of boys from the Paris Saint-Germain football school, based in Juiz de Fora (MG), passing through Teresópolis for an U-11 football tournament, were at one of the entrances to Granja Comary on Thursday morning trying to catch, from afar, a few moments of one of the U-15 Copa do Brasil semifinals, between Flamengo and Palmeiras. They were leaning against a fence that marks the boundary of the CBF training center area. When one of them spotted Carlo Ancelotti, the alert went up in uncontrollable excitement.

“It’s Ancelotti! It’s Ancelotti!” he shouted, in a burst of excitement that soon spread to his teammates, all wearing PSG uniforms. The coach was walking from one of the Granja fields to another, where the Copa do Brasil semifinal between Ceará and Internacional was being played. At first, Ancelotti smiled and waved at the young visitors. But in the end, he gave in to their calls. He came closer, signed autographs, posed for selfies, and was showered with affection by the boys in unison.

“Ancelotti, I love you! Ancelotti, I love you,” repeated the children, hugging each other excitedly, so warmly had Carlo Ancelotti welcomed them with his kindness.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.