Brazil want Pep Guardiola as their next manager

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 3 min read

The Brazilian FA plan to sound out Pep Guardiola about the possibility of the Manchester City manager succeeding Tite as the Selecao's next head coach.

Guardiola only extended his deal at the Etihad until 2025 in November, but the Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) want to ask the Catalan tactician what his plans for the short- and medium-term are.

Brazil have never had a non-Brazilian manager, but they are willing to cast their net further after suffering their second consecutive exit at the quarter-final stage of a World Cup.

READ: Brazil produce tactical nightmare to suffer shock 2022 World Cup exit

"The CBF president, Ednaldo Rodrigues, is going to choose the new coach alone," report Sport. "He wants to know first-hand and without intermediaries what the professional intentions of the current Manchester City coach are and if there is any possibility of being able to count on him at the end of the current European season.

"Considered by the CBF as the best coach in world football, Guardiola is at the top of their list. They have already declared, after Tite's resounding failure, that there is the possibility of breaking with tradition and going into the international market to hire the best possible option."

Other options

Guardiola has won four of the last five possible Premier League titles with Man City and has 32 major honours as a manager to his name. Ederson has been his No.1 goalkeeper for those league triumphs, but was Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson's understudy in Qatar.

READ: Pep Guardiola's 10 best Man City signings

Should the CBF fail to convince Guardiola to jump ship, they have a six-man international shortlist which also included Jorge Sampaoli, the Argentine who won the Copa America with Chile in 2015, and Abel Ferreira, the Portuguese coach of Palmeiras who won the Copa Libertadores in 2020 and 2021.

Brazil were the betting favourites to win a sixth World Cup in Qatar, but they were dumped out on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Croatia in their quarter-final at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan last Friday.