From the Bernabéu to Brazil: Milan legend appointed Corinthians coach

Brazilian club Corinthians have announced the appointment of Dutchman Clarence Seedorf as the team's new head coach, succeeding Fernando Diniz, who has left his post.

According to AS newspaper, Seedorf has put pen to paper on a deal that runs until December 2027.

His task is a brutal one. Morale at Corinthians has been shredded, and the club are scrapping for their top-flight survival.

"Accepting this challenge is a great honour, but it also represents an enormous responsibility," Seedorf told his new club's website. "I am here to give everything I have, and to build a team that fights for every ball, every minute and every victory."

Nobody saw this one coming. The AC Milan legend was not among the leading candidates for the job, and in fact he sat almost entirely outside most of the shortlists.

Corinthians had held talks with Sebastian Beccacece, Ramon Diaz, Juan Pablo Vojvoda, Cariel, Luis Zubeldia, Sylvinho and even Javier Mascherano. Yet it is the Dutchman who now takes on the job of keeping them up.

He is due in Sao Paulo in the coming days alongside his new coaching staff. William Batista is expected to take the bench for the match against Palmeiras.

Seedorf watched Real Madrid take on Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu, and he now has only a few hours to pack his bags and get ready for his new assignment.

This is the worst crisis in the club's modern history, and it has arrived just months after they lifted the Brazilian Cup and the Super Cup.

Money sits at the heart of it. The club are stagnating, with debts running into the millions owed to players, Memphis Depay among them, and to other clubs.

Results have also fallen short of expectations during the current season. The team sit 16th, just one point above the relegation places, and Estudiantes knocked them out of the Copa Libertadores in a controversial knockout tie. They went out of the Cup too.