Jorge Jesus digs at Ancelotti, would take Flamengo's Pedro to World Cup | OneFootball

New Portugal coach Jorge Jesus heaped praise on Pedro

Before Carlo Ancelotti took over the Brazilian National Team, Jorge Jesus came close to managing the five-time world champions. The former Flamengo coach even said he was already preparing a squad list after the green-and-yellow team’s defeat to Argentina in the qualifiers. In an interview, Portugal’s new coach said he would take Pedro, from Mengão, to the World Cup.

— I ended up not coaching the Brazil National Team, but I already had instructions to put together Brazil’s preliminary squad. For the match they had in March, after they lost 4-1 to Argentina... So what would I have done? Would I have called up a different squad from the one Ancelotti picked? Of course I would have, with one player or another, at least because I was biased... —, Jorge Jesus began.

— I think that right now the best striker in Brazilian football is Pedro. That’s a little bit biased, because he was my player at Flamengo. (My squad) would have had one, two, or three different players, but I agreed with most of what he did. Then there’s the personal stamp, the way of looking at the game, the way of training, that’s what makes the difference —, added the Mister, to Portugal’s ‘Canal 11’.

DID JORGE JESUS AND PEDRO WORK TOGETHER AT FLAMENGO?

The partnership between Jorge Jesus and Pedro lasted for months. After all, Pedro was signed in January 2020. The Mister left Mengão shortly afterward, in July, because of the Coronavirus pandemic that haunted the world. Despite the short period, the duo won three titles.

In the first half of that year, Flamengo won the Carioca, the Brazilian Super Cup, and the Recopa Sudamericana. Jorge Jesus managed to fit Pedro and Gabigol together up front, alongside Bruno Henrique, Arrascaeta, and Everton Ribeiro, and looked set to build a winning legacy like in 2019. However, the Mister’s spell ended sooner than expected.

WHY DIDN’T PEDRO GO TO THE 2026 WORLD CUP?

Pedro was on Carlo Ancelotti’s radar. However, the striker’s run of injuries counted against him. In addition, the number 9 did not ‘win over’ Filipe Luís last year and was not the first-choice starter. In 2026, under Leonardo Jardim, the striker rediscovered his best form. However, it was too late to convince the Italian, who opted for Igor Thiago of Brentford (ENG).

AND HOW IS JORGE JESUS DOING?

After becoming Saudi champion with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr (KSA) in May, Jorge Jesus announced that he would not stay at the club. The Mister’s plan was to manage a national team, and Portugal’s invitation came along. Now, the Flamengo idol is preparing for Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— Jorge Jesus with the Brazilian National Team would have been incredible. Besides having Pedro at the World Cup, we certainly wouldn’t have had less than 40% possession, as happened in the elimination against Norway. The Mister has everything it takes to do a great job with Portugal —, opined Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

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