Ancelotti's bets for 2030 seek consolidation in Europe

In an interview with ge, the Italian coach cited the trio of attackers formed by Estêvão, Rayan and Endrick among some of the main athletes he intends to count on during this reconstruction process..

The first, a Chelsea striker aged just 19, seemed, despite his young age, well established as one of Ancelotti's front line pieces for the World Cup in North America, until he ended up being cut off from the relationship on the eve of the tournament due to an injury to his right thigh.

He had earned points with the coach after doing well and finding the net four times in Brazil's last three friendlies in 2025, against South Korea, Senegal and Tunisia, standing out on the right wing.

Estevão played his first game since the injury this Tuesday (28), entering the second half of the friendly against WS Wanderers, from Australia, in Sydney.

With only a discreet performance after more than three months away from the field, the striker trained at the Palmeiras academy saw another Brazilian who also ended up missing out on the World Cup shine in the 6-4 victory over the Australian team: striker João Pedro, scorer of Chelsea's last three goals, in a span of ten minutes.

In Ancelotti's pre-list for the World Cup, the Fluminense center forward was unable to find the net in the opportunities he had to show his service, in the friendlies against France and Croatia, and ended up passed over in the final stretch by Neymar.

With Estêvão's absence, the person who most ended up gaining opportunities on the right wing was Rayan, also 19 years old, the youngest player on the Brazilian team in a World Cup since Ronaldo, and who found his place after playing for just 15 minutes against Croatia.

In a promising start to the Premier League at modest Bournemouth, the left-footed player created by Vasco's academy got ahead of athletes older and more experienced than him in football, thanks to his fast and versatile style of play, being able to play in different positions.

During the World Cup, he gained ground after Raphinha's injury, and didn't just play in the debut game against Morocco. He didn't score, but did provide an assist in the 3-0 victory over Scotland, when he started among the starters.

Although he didn't lose his balance, he seems to have left a good impression with the coaching staff, using a combination of physical strength, speed and ability to press without the ball.

From a very promising start with the Brazil shirt, with goals in the first three games, in mid-2024, against England, Spain and Mexico, still under the management of Dorival Júnior, Endrick, the oldest of those mentioned, at 20 years old, had only a discreet performance in the four matches he played in the World Cup, all coming off the bench.

In the elimination against Norway, he had a good opportunity after a pass from Vinicius Junior, but was unable to finish. He ended up only having a few minutes on the field and left an impression of performance below expectations, mainly because of the good moment he was going through at Lyon.

Back at Real Madrid, the striker may have the chance to show his service to Ancelotti, now managed by Portuguese José Mourinho in the Merengue team, especially after the departure of competitor Gonzalo Garcia to Fulham.

CITY DEFENDER AND BRASILEIRÃO GOALKEEPERS ALSO ON THE RADAR

During the interview, the national team coach also discussed the process of training new talents and spoke about the early departure of promising young people from Brazilian football, who end up not having as much space in Europe.

"The truth is that Brazil will always develop talents and then they have to be accompanied. The ideal would obviously be for the talented players to play a little more here and be able to evolve faster than when they arrive in Europe and don't have the space to play all the games", said the manager.

Another name mentioned by the Italian among the promising young players for the next cycle of the Brazilian team is 20-year-old defender Vitor Reis.

A highlight of Palmeiras in his professional debut, in 2024, he was sold in the same year to Manchester City, in a deal worth EUR 35 million (R$ 205 million) that made him the most expensive defender in Brazilian football.

However, he was unable to establish himself in Pep Guardiola's team and, therefore, played last season on loan at Girona, in Spain.

He played 38 games, with one goal and one assist, being one of the highlights of the defensive system. He was the only representative from the country to make the list of the ten best under-20 players in La Liga and the third under-20 player with the most minutes on the field.

His outstanding performance guaranteed his return to City for the 2026/27 season, in the squad led by Enzo Maresca.

He was called up by Ancelotti for the friendly against Croatia, replacing the injured Gabriel Magalhães, but did not take the field.

In addition to the players mentioned by name, the coach stated that he also sees potential in the new generation of goalkeepers in Brazil - the three archers in the World Cup are already over 30 years old: Alisson is 33, while Ederson is 32, and Weverton, 38.

"Naming players is complicated, but there are young people in the Brasileirão, goalkeepers who are playing and showing quality to potentially be part of the national team," said Ancelotti.

Of the goalkeepers called up by the coach so far, only Hugo Souza, 27 years old, from Corinthians, currently plays in Brazilian football.

Starting in the friendly defeat against Japan, the almost 2 meter tall archer and specialist in defending penalties was even tipped to be at the World Cup, but was passed over at the last minute due to Weverton's experience.

Among the names that could still get a chance with Ancelotti are Gabriel Brazão, from Santos, and Andrew Ventura, from