With his constant calm and great confidence in his tactical knowledge, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid, took an additional step in the history of world football, by winning the Spanish Football League title for the second time with the “Merengue”, which is his 28th title as a coach.
Winning is simply in his DNA. The Italian “Mr.,” with his elegant white hair and black suit, led the Royal Club, at the age of 64, to win the league title for the 36th time in its history, a title that translated more than ever into his pragmatic and highly effective playing style.
Ancelotti, who is the only coach to have won the five major European tournament titles (Spain, England, Germany, France and Italy), won for the second time all the tournaments that the Madrid giants can win (the Spanish League, the Champions League, the Spanish Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup).
This title is the twelfth with the second club in his career (behind Italian Milan), which allowed him to surpass Frenchman Zinedine Zidane (11 titles) and approach the legend Miguel Muñoz (14). It has a special flavor after his second era in the Spanish capital was scheduled to end in June.
After he was a candidate to lead the five-time world champion Brazilian team, it was finally announced that the contract of the talented coach at Real Madrid would be extended until 2026 at the end of last December, after a more than ideal start to the current season, which reassured the Royal administration of the Italian’s ability to complete the transitional period process after an era. thriving in its history.
Adaptation and confidence
After the departure of French striker Karim Benzema to Saudi Arabia, Ancelotti changed everything and modified his tactical plan to prepare the ground for his new star, the English newcomer Jude Bellingham, to prove that he knows how to re-establish a successful team.
The result was: 32 victories and only two defeats in 48 matches in all competitions, and an impressive ability to deal with all challenges.
Billingham, the former German Borussia Dortmund star, said of his coach, “I think our greatest strength is that he finds a way to allow us to play freely.” Our method is somewhat unpredictable. “In human terms, he conveys a lot of calm and confidence to us.”
Thanks to his wonderful leadership, the son of Regolo (Northern Italy) will be able this year to repeat his famous image of wearing sunglasses and a cigar in his mouth among his players, which spread in 2022, after winning his first title in La Liga.
Ancelotti said last year, “The players are my friends,” which sheds light on his ability to lead a dressing room made up of young, skilled players in addition to veteran stars who later became like a “family,” as Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior points out.
Milan in the heart
As a sign of his stature, many consider him a global reference and he is unanimously agreed that he is one of the greatest tacticians ever, and the most successful coach in the history of the Champions League (4 titles), and he is now two steps away from adding a fifth European star to his historical tally.
His winning streak began in the 1980s, starting with Roma, then in Milan, his favorite club, where he spent 13 years, first as a player between 1987 and 1992, then as a coach between 2001 and 2009.
On the field, the former defensive midfielder won two major titles (1989 and 1990) under the guidance of the legendary Arrigo Sacchi, his biggest inspiration at the tactical level.
Alongside Sacchi, Ancelotti began his coaching career on the bench of the Italian national team, runner-up to the 1994 World Cup, as an assistant coach.
As a coach, he led the Rossoneri to win the Italian Cup in 2003, the league title in 2004 and the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, with reference to their loss in the continental final to Liverpool in 2005 in dramatic fashion.
Ancelotti, whose son Davide is assistant coach at Real, is still a great lover of wine and good gastronomy, like many Italians, and is far from retiring, even if he does occasionally entertain the idea.
He said, “I would like to spend some time with my grandchildren, and go on vacation with my wife… There are a lot of things that I have neglected that I would like to do.”
He added, “After Real Madrid, yes, maybe I will stop, but if Real Madrid keeps me here for ten years, I will train for another ten years.”