It’s decided: Carlo Ancelotti is not the man for the job

Filipe Luís, Abel Ferreira, Carlo Ancelotti, and José Mourinho? Nope. The chosen one is Jorge Jesús. Habemus papam in Brazil — the Seleção has a new head coach.

According to UOL, the Portuguese coach, currently under contract with Al Hilal until the end of June, has been selected to take the reins of the Canarinha following Dorival Júnior’s dismissal.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) wants him in place by May, ahead of the Club World Cup, and is reportedly willing to pay his €2.5 million release clause to terminate his contract early.

Jorge Jesús’ deal with the Brazilian national team would run through the end of the 2026 World Cup. But there’s a catch — he’d be taking a massive pay cut, earning just 20% of what he currently makes in Saudi Arabia. Still, he’s ready to trade the money for a chance to coach Neymar, Vinícius Jr., and company.

Jorge Jesús isn’t new to Brazilian football. He left his mark in 2019 during his unforgettable stint with Flamengo, winning the Copa Libertadores against River Plate at the Estadio Monumental. That made him only the second European coach ever to lift the trophy. He also claimed the Brasileirão title and took Flamengo to the Club World Cup final, where they narrowly lost to Liverpool in extra time.

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Since then, he’s coached Benfica, then Fenerbahçe, and most recently Al Hilal. Now, at 70, he’s facing the biggest challenge of his career: bringing the five-time world champions back to glory.

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