Talks are currently ongoing between Botafogo and the CBF, with Softfootball reliably informed that Davide Ancelotti is the frontrunner for the head coach position.
The 35-year-old is currently part of the Brazil men’s national team’s technical staff, having joined his father, Carlo Ancelotti, on the Seleção’s bench following their arrival earlier this summer. Davide left his role as assistant coach at Real Madrid alongside Carlo at the end of the 2024-25 season and signed terms with the CBF shortly after.
The Athletic reported that Botafogo’s move for Davide is intensifying as they seek to change their style of leadership after they dismissed Renato Paiva last June following the club’s World Cup round-of-16 exit at the hands of Palmeiras.
This also reflects a broader ambition to establish themselves among the continent’s elite, following a period of significant domestic and continental success and a new chapter fo the younger Ancelotti, as he looks to step out of his father’s shadow and take on a senior role at one of South America’s biggest clubs.
Botafogo currently sit eighth in Serie A, six points off leaders Flamengo, and are preparing for a Copa Libertadores last-16 clash with Ecuadorian side LDU Quito next month.
Ancelotti has been a fixture in his father’s backroom staff since 2011, starting as a fitness coach at Paris Saint-Germain and continuing with him to Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, and Everton. He stepped into a more senior coaching role at Bayern in 2016 and has since developed a growing reputation as a tactician in his own right, holding a UEFA A License.
While this would be his first senior managerial role, Ancelotti has attracted growing interest across Europe and beyond. Carlo Ancelotti made history by becoming Brazil’s first-ever foreign head coach after leaving Madrid after the 2024-25 season. He succeeded Dorival Junior, who was dismissed in March.
Meanwhile, Softfootball had earlier reported that Botafogo’s striker, Igor Jesus, had made a move from the Brazilian side to Nottingham Forest last weekend. The 24-year-old becomes Forest’s latest addition in the summer window, following a verbal agreement reached in June alongside his Botafogo teammates Cuiabano and Jair Cunha.
Jesus made the switch to Botafogo in 2024 from Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE Pro League and went on to score 17 goals in 59 appearances for the Brazilian outfit. In the 2025 season, he recorded nine goals and one assist across 29 matches, including two goals during Botafogo’s run to the Club World Cup Round of 16.
