Alisson credits Ancelotti for transforming Brazil after 'very difficult period' ahead of World Cup

Carlo Ancelotti has brought calm and renewed purpose to Brazil’s national team, according to goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who described the squad’s pre-Ancelotti era as a genuinely difficult stretch ahead of the Seleção’s 2026 World Cup opener.

Speaking from Brazil’s training base in Basking Ridge, Alisson was candid about the turbulence that preceded the Italian’s arrival. “It is undeniable that the last period was very difficult for us players. We felt firsthand the difficulties we had, due to several factors. Since Ancelotti’s arrival, the environment has been transformed. He carries a strong presence and gives us the tranquility of an environment focused on work, without controversy,” the Liverpool shot-stopper told reporters.

Ancelotti, who took charge of the Seleção in May 2025 after leaving Real Madrid, is set to make history on Saturday as the first foreign manager to lead Brazil into a World Cup. He inherited a side whose qualification for the 2026 tournament had looked uncharacteristically uncertain, and Alisson believes the veteran coach’s temperament has been the decisive factor in their recovery.

“He is resilient, humble, and has intelligence in choosing the right words at the right time. He is a great manager. He has a clear idea of football, which facilitates our style of play,” Alisson said. The goalkeeper went further in illustrating the weight of the role: “He’s a multi-champion, but he shows it. He has won everything in football and is here with joy and enthusiasm. His position perhaps has more pressure than being the president of the country, in its levels.”

Brazil have been drawn in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland, and Alisson — preparing for his third consecutive World Cup as the undisputed first choice — also paid tribute to goalkeeper coach Claudio Taffarel, the 1994 World Cup winner who has worked alongside him at both international level and at Anfield.

“It’s a privilege to work with Taffarel,” Alisson said, recalling a childhood memory of the 1998 semi-final against the Netherlands. “My father played a joke when Taffarel saved the penalty. He took a cake and shoved it in his own face. I think that’s why it stayed so marked.”

With Ancelotti providing tactical clarity and Taffarel offering a direct connection to Brazil’s golden era, Alisson’s message ahead of the tournament opener was one of quiet confidence rather than grand proclamation.