After months of rumors and behind-the-scenes efforts, the Brazilian Football Confederation officially announced that Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed as the new head coach of the national team.

Ancelotti will have just three more games on the Real Madrid bench before the end of the La Liga season, after which he will head to Brazil to take charge of the Seleção.

Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, played the most significant role in hiring Ancelotti. He personally admires the Italian coach and waited patiently for his approval. Rodrigues made an interesting claim today, stating that many Brazilian national team players also insisted on Ancelotti becoming the coach.

The Brazilian FA president said: “I personally liked Ancelotti, and when I spoke with him, I liked him even more. He was also very happy with our conversation. All Brazilian football clubs have commented on this and congratulated us on choosing Ancelotti. We believed that the Brazilian national team should have the best coach in the world—though I don’t want my words to be misinterpreted as belittling other coaches. Ancelotti also expressed his desire to lead Brazil, and many of our national team players we spoke with said he is the best option to restore Brazil to its rightful place as the world’s top football power.”