Brazil World Cup boss Tite is ready to take on Europe and the Premier League

Tite has conquered South America. Refreshed and recharged, Brazil’s World Cup manager is eyeing his next mission: Europe. Or, who knows, maybe England.

‘If there’s a good professional opportunity, why not?,’ he responds when asked whether a Premier League job appeals to him. ‘I want a new challenge, one in Europe would be very interesting to me.’

Tite has won all there is to win back in his native Brazil. But his competitive juices are urging him to try something different. To exit his comfort zone.

So here he is, striding confidently into a private location close to London’s bustling Edgware Road with a smile that captivates the room. With a handshake as solid as oak. With a presence that is simply undeniable.

But, more pertinently, with the aim of tasting what European football management has to offer. He arrives with the all the necessary tools to make a success of his new adventure. What Tite doesn’t know about managerial life in the fast lane isn’t worth knowing.

The 62-year-old was speaking in an exclusive interview with Mail Sport’s Sami Mokbel (right)

Tite admitted he wants a new challenge and that one in Europe would be ‘very interesting’

Six years as Brazil manager – it doesn’t come more pressurised than that. The ultimate job in football management? Carlo Ancelotti appears to think so having just agreed to leave arguably the biggest club job in world football at Real Madrid to become manager of the five time World Cup winners.

‘Being Brazil manager, the pressure is very strong. The responsibility is very strong, it is so intense,’ describes Tite.

Ancelotti has got all this to come when he swaps the Bernabeu for Brazil at the end of next season. Over the next 12 months, the Italian would be wise to drop Tite a line. And if he does, Ancelotti will find a man who is humble, warm and engaging.

‘I am man first and then I’m a coach. That is my human philosophy,’ he says. Indeed, it’s not difficult to comprehend why Brazil’s superstars took such a shining to him.

‘You have to treat each player with the same level of respect, to treat those that are starting matches and those on the bench the same way. That is very important,’ he said.

‘Everyone wants to be in the starting XI but it’s important to explain to players why I’m not choosing them. I’m choosing the player, not the person. I’m choosing what I need for that game.

‘But it’s my responsibility to explain that to the players – to make sure they are all ready for the match. You can’t just give him the news that he isn’t starting and then expect them to deal with it.’

To that effect, it is unsurprising then that Neymar wrote a public letter of thanks to Tite following the coach’s departure as Brazil boss following the World Cup quarter final loss to Croatia.

He left as Selecao boss after the country’s World Cup quarter-final exit against Croatia

It is unsurprising star player Neymar (left) wrote a public letter of thanks to him after he left

‘I openly thank you for everything, all the teachings you’ve given us… and there were so many,’ wrote Neymar. ‘You will always be one of the best coaches I’ve ever had or will have, I will always lift you up.’

It is telling that the iconic Neymar wasn’t the only Brazilian to publicly give thanks. ‘Neymar is beautiful, very beautiful. He is different. He is the wow factor – the team is strong but our star is Neymar,’ Tite said.

Yet perhaps the biggest accomplishment of Tite’s reign was navigated without his talisman. Brazil’s euphoric triumph at Copa America 2019 was completed without Neymar, who missed the tournament with ankle injury.

History repeated itself in Qatar 2022; an ankle injury sustained in the opening group game versus Serbia caused the Paris Saint-Germain superstar to miss the remaining pool matches against Switzerland and Cameroon before he made a goalscoring return in the last-16 win over South Korea.

‘Without our star we had some struggles offensively, but we could still manage,’ Tite explains. ‘Because in our six years together, we had the chance to play without Neymar. We won the Copa America without Neymar. They had the sense that they already did it without Neymar.’

Of course, it is far easier to cope with the loss of your star player when you’ve got Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Raphinha and Richarlison holding up the attack – though there’s one player in particular Tite pinpoints as the glue that held his Brazil team together.

Clue: he plays for Manchester United. ‘Casemiro owns the No 6 position. He is so important,’ said the 62-year-old. ‘He makes the ball flow from the back line to front line in the attacking phase. In defensive moments, his positioning is unbelievable.’

And it seems Tite’s penchant for holding midfielders doesn’t stop at Casemiro.

Seven months on from the pressure of that post, Tite now feels relaxed and fully recharged

In a private location in London, he joked that his wife has told him he needs to get back to work

‘Declan Rice… ooooff! Good passer, great vision,’ he says of Arsenal’s new £105million signing, whilst also name-checking Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Kyle Walker as England’s best players.

Neymar’s injury, Casemiro’s brilliance and Rice’s emergence as England’s lynchpin at World Cup 2022 all seems a long and distant memory now. And truth be told Qatar – and its aftermath – took a toll on Tite. Not because of questions he faced over their quarter-final exit; he is used to that.

‘That is a characteristic of coaching in Brazil. If you don’t win, it’s a tragedy,’ he says. But approaching seven years in Brazil job, coupled with the scrutiny that accompanies the position, left Tite drained.

‘I was tired. My energy was gone – it was a long time with the national team – a long process,’ said the South American. ‘We travelled all over the world: the Premier League, LaLiga, Champions League matches.

‘After a long time, in that moment (leaving the Brazil job) I felt the weight lift. It was the time to get away. But even then I was watching games on Boxing Day! My wife was screaming: ‘Tite, stop, stop!’.’

Seven months on, Tite is refreshed and ready to return to work. Had Brazil not pleaded with him to rescue a team that were desperately struggling under Dunga in 2016, then it is highly likely that he would be working in Europe right now.

He’d swept the board with Corinthians, included a Club World Cup victory over Chelsea in 2012. His stock in Europe was soaring – but when you’re Brazilian, you don’t turn down Brazil. It’s not a choice – it’s an obligation.

‘I don’t think about what might have been,’ he says. ‘I knew about the interest in me from Europe but I didn’t even reflect on it. It was a big moment for me with the national team. 

‘Even up to the World Cup in 2018 there were great European teams that came to talk to me but I wasn’t open to it because I was focused on the national team.  I couldn’t just let go of that. In life you can’t just let go of something and try to grab it again. 

‘Once you have something, you have to hold on to it because you don’t know what will happen if you let it go.’

But the time is now for Tite. He’s ready. He wants to be at the centre of the action again. ‘I miss it. I miss organising the whole process. Football is my life,’ he added. 

‘My idea of football is clear: balance. Offensive phase: yes! It’s very important to score. But the defensive phase is just as important. To be strong, competitive, organised, compact. I’m pretty sure that this is the most efficient way to win games. 

‘And anyway – three months ago my wife told me to get back to work!’