FCarlo Ancelotti, who enjoyed great success with Real Madrid, was appointed Brazil national team manager on May 12th. Neymar was recently in the news for being left out of the squad for friendly matches against France on March 26th and 31st, and against Croatia on March 31st, but his comments have made headlines again.
Ahead of the match against the 2018 World Cup champions, the Verde Amarella coach spoke about former Real Madrid player Kylian Mbapp.
Ancelotti warns about Mbappu
Carlet and Kylian spent the entire 2024-2025 season together at Real Madrid, from the French forward’s arrival in the summer of 2024 until the Italian manager’s departure in May 2025.
Under Ancelotti, Mbapp played his first full season at Los Merengues, scoring a total of 39 goals, making him the Madrid player with the most goals in his debut year.
Now, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Carlet’s team will play two games in the United States, reuniting with the former PSG star, but this time as rivals.
The Italian manager did not hesitate to praise his former coach in a press conference, but made it clear that his priority was to stop him on the field, as he is a “very dangerous, effective and quick player in front of goal”.
Looking back on their time together, Carletto said: “It was fun to work with them. I also remember the time I spent with Mbappu, who scored a lot of goals last year (for Real Madrid).”
However, Ancelotti also stressed that France have talent in all positions and Brazil “need to play with balance to avoid counter-attacks, and that is where we are most dangerous”, the 66-year-old manager stressed.
However, Ancelotti faces problems in defense due to injuries to Der Milito, Gabriel Magalhes and Marquinhos (the latter is suffering from discomfort, but could be fit for the friendly against Croatia on March 31).
Of course, Neymar’s absence was also a topic of discussion at the press conference. However, in terms of form, the former PSG and Bayern Munich manager said he would “observe and listen to everything” and “then take a decision”. Earlier, the coach said the Brazilian star was not 100% fit and that was why he did not call him up. However, we do not exclude the possibility of considering him again if his condition improves.
Meanwhile, Brazil and France will face off this Thursday at 4pm ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, near Boston.
They will then face Croatia on March 31st at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
