In the mid-1990s, Volkswagen 'summoned' the coach and goalkeeper of the Brazilian squad to promote a special series of the Gol
Last Monday (18), Vokswagen – official sponsor of the Brazilian football teams – took advantage of the call for the 2026 World Cup to officially present the new Tukan pickup, even if under heavy camouflage. The brand also put the truck to escort the car of Carlo Ancelloti, coach of the squad who even took some publicity photos next to the model.
But the current coach of the Brazilian national team was not the first professional in this position to do a VW commercial. In 1996, Zagallo, along with goalkeeper Dida, turned a lemon into lemonade by scoring on the failures of the number 1. He was an advertising film for the VW Gol Atlanta, a special series of the hatch, then the best-selling car in Brazil.
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At the time, goalkeeper Dida was heavily criticized precisely for not knowing how to get out of the goal in decisive moves. In fact, at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the player was one of the most criticized and made capital mistakes precisely when leaving the goal. Losing the so-called “Olympic gold” was Zagallo’s biggest frustration in his victorious football career – he won four World Cups, two as a player and two as a coach.
Coach Carlo Ancelloti has a more aspirational role in VW’s current campaigns. Today he is the protagonist of a Volkswagen advertising piece today. Packed with the classic samba-enredo “O Amanhã”, by João Araújo and Didi, the story leads the viewer through scenes of celebration for the conquest of the Hexa spread throughout Brazil: emotional families, parties in the streets, flags, hugs, tears of joy and the iconic Canarinho.
In this scenario, Volkswagen vehicles appear as part of history over generations. On board the new Tiguan, “mister” Ancelotti is woken up by the driver and reveals that it was a recurring dream.
In the case of Zagallo, the commercial praised a special series of the Gol and Parati lines, the Atlanta, which stood out for bringing an increased equipment package. At the time, there was an investment of R$ 5 million between the creation of the models and advertising actions, such as the commercial with Zagallo and Dida.
