Following a highly successful stint at Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti was named Brazil’s head coach on May 12. He has recently been in the news for excluding Neymar from the roster for the friendlies against France and Croatia on March 26 and 31, respectively, but his words have once again made headlines.
In the lead-up to the match against the 2018 World Cup champions, the Verdeamarela coach spoke about his former player at Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé.
Ancelotti warns about Mbappé
Carletto and Kylian spent an entire season together at Real Madrid, the 2024-2025 campaign, from the French forward’s arrival in the summer of 2024 until the Italian coach’s departure in May 2025.
Under Ancelotti, Mbappé played his first full season with Los Merengues, scoring a total of 39 goals and becoming the Madrid player with the most goals in his debut year.
Now, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Carletto’s squad will play two matches in the United States and reunite with the former PSG star-but this time, as rivals.
At a press conference, the Italian coach did not hesitate to praise the player he once coached, but made it clear that the priority is to stop him on the field because he is “very dangerous, effective, and quick in front of goal.”
In addition, Carletto reflected on their time together: “It was nice working with them; I remember the period we spent together, with Mbappé as well, who scored many goals last year [at Real Madrid],” he said.
However, Ancelotti also emphasized that France has talent across all positions, which forces Brazil to “play with balance to try to avoid counterattacks, which is where they are most dangerous,” according to the 66-year-old coach.
That said, Ancelotti arrives with defensive issues, as Éder Militão, Gabriel Magalhães, and Marquinhos are injured (the latter is dealing with discomfort but could be ready for the friendly against Croatia on March 31).
Of course, during the press conference, Neymar’s absence came up. However, true to form, the former PSG and Bayern Munich coach stated that he “observes and listens to everything” and that “he makes decisions afterward.” Prior to this, the coach had noted that the Brazilian star was not 100% physically fit and that, for that reason, he had not called him up; however, if his condition improves, he does not rule out considering him again.
Meanwhile, Brazil and France will face off this Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, near Boston, at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Then, on March 31, they will take on Croatia at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
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