Ancelotti watches U15 Copa do Brasil final, 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 closing stage of the first edition of the Under-15 Copa do Brasil. Alongside the Executive General 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 Under-20 team; Carlos Eduardo Patetuci, of the Under-17 team; and Guilherme Dalla Déa, of the Under-15 team.

The meeting aimed to promote an exchange of experiences among the professionals and strengthen integration between the different levels of the Brazil National Team. 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 throughout the player development process.

The visit also included the presence of CBF Competitions Director Julio Avellar and took place during an important period in the youth teams’ calendar, with international commitments scheduled for August, including friendlies set to be held 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 Under-15 Copa do Brasil and highlighted the integration among Brazil’s national teams.

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

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

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

"There are 32 clubs and more than 600 registered players. We managed to take this project, which had existed for a long time, out of the drawer 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, valuing the competition and already observing players, in a very promising integration among 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 head coach of the National Team. In April, the coach took part in an event held at Granja Comary focused on developing new talent, bringing together professionals from different areas of youth football (look back here).

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

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

Children in a frenzy at the sight of 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 to take part in an Under-11 football tournament, were at one of the entrances to Granja Comary on Thursday morning trying to catch, from afar, some of the action from one of the Under-15 Copa do Brasil semifinals between Flamengo and Palmeiras. They were leaning against a fence marking the boundary of the CBF training center area. When one of them spotted Carlo Ancelotti, the alert went up amid uncontrollable excitement.

“It’s Ancelotti! It’s Ancelotti!” he shouted, in excitement that quickly spread to his teammates, all wearing PSG uniforms. The coach was heading from one of Granja’s pitches to another, where the Copa do Brasil semifinal between Ceará and Internacional was being played. At first, Ancelotti smiled and waved to the young visitors. But he ended up giving in to their appeals. He came closer, signed autographs, posed for selfies, and received the boys’ affection in chorus.

“Ancelotti, I love you! Ancelotti, I love you,” the children repeated, hugging one another, moved by Carlo Ancelotti’s warmth and kindness.

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