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Brazilians Are Losing Their Minds Over Rumors Of Guardiola As O Seleção's New Head Coach

Brazilian fans are pretty confident about winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The team practically walked the CONMEBOL qualifiers without losing a single game, and supporters feel the squad is strong enough to grab its sixth trophy in the history of the competition. If you go to Brazil, you will probably smell the Hexa in every corner of the country.

The question is, what's going to happen after coach Tite leaves his post? And well, Pep Guardiola may happen. Or at least that's what Diario Marca is saying. 

Guardiola Brazil coach rumors

Tite has been very clear about his intentions of leaving Brazil duties once the World Cup is over, whether they win the title or not. 

"I am aware of my cycle. This cycle goes until the end of the World Cup," the 60-year-old manager, who has been in charge of O Seleção since 2016, said last February

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According to Marca, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is already working on Tite's replacement, and Guardiola appears to be the leading candidate to take over. Marca's sources said they've already made contact, and they even estimated the salary that Pep will have in case of accepting the proposal: $13 million a year after taxes.

The amount is eight million short of what Guardiola currently earns with Manchester City, but that will not be an impediment because the Spanish coach has made clear in the past his intentions of coaching a national team in Europe or South America. 

"The next step will be a national team. There is a possibility. International football is the next step," Guardiola said in 2021. "I would like to coach in a European Championship, a Copa America, a World Cup."

At the time, Guardiola was asked specifically about Brazil, and he said, "They are a fantastic team. I've already worked with some of their players and competed against others. Brazil is always a strong candidate or the favorite [for trophies]. Always has been and always will be."

Of course, the idea of having Guardiola commanding the national team has made quite an impact inside Brazil. Some columnists, like Danilo Lavieri from UOL Deportes, are totally down with the idea of Pep taking over Tite's job. 

"He is a coach who already said that he dreams of the national team. He has minimum knowledge of Brazilian culture and a lot of knowledge of Brazilian players. I would bet all my chips on him," he said.

Fans are over the moon, and they already see Brazil also winning the 2026 World Cup with Guardiola, who also would become the first non-Brazilian coach in charge of La Verde-amarela.

But is this really happening? Well, who knows. On Thursday, Guardiola cooled off the rumors in a press conference. 

"Brazil has very good Brazilian coaches who have to coach the national team. There are very good Brazilian coaches. Debate closed!" he said. 

But we also know how this works. 

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