Having inspired yet another sensational performance by Real Madrid to reach a record-breaking UEFA Champions League final, it is mind-boggling that Carlo Ancelotti is not one of the first names in the conversation for the greatest manager of all time, writes KickOff's Lukhanyo Mtuta.
After beating Bayern Munich 2-1 in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, Los Blancos could now clinch a record-extending 15th UCL title when they meet fellow finalists Borussia Dortmund on 1 June. At the heart of the Spanish giants' huge achievement has been their manager Ancelotti, who is now the first coach in history to reach six Champions League finals.
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Interestingly, in the discussion for the greatest coaches in European football history, his name is often an afterthought, with the likes of Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson tending to be held in higher regard than he is. But is there merit to this idea, perhaps from a statistical point of view at least?
In 1992, Ancelotti retired as a player, having enjoyed a glittering 16-year career as a central midfielder for clubs such as Parma, AS Roma, and AC Milan. Aged 33 at the time, the Reggiolo native wasted little time getting into management as he was immediately appointed as assistant coach to Arrigo Sacchi in the Italy national team, and would go to on play a part in the Azzurri's run to the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
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In 1995, he took on his first head coach role at Italian second-tier outfit AC Reggiana 1919, and helped the side to Serie A promotion in his debut season in charge. This remarkable start to his coaching career would pave the way for jobs at Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain by the year 2013. At this point, he was an established elite coach, prompting his first appointment at Real Madrid in July 2013 following an acrimonious departure from PSG.
In his debut season with Los Blancos, he won a double, clinching the 2013/14 Champions League and the Copa del Rey. In May 2015, however, just months after winning the FIFA Club World Cup as well, he was sacked by Real after failing to win a single trophy in the 2014/15 campaign. This tenure was followed by a successful three-trophy haul at Bayern Munich, with this stint followed by moves to Napoli in 2018 and then Everton in 2019.
In 2021, Real came calling again, and Ancelotti would go one to win an impressive fourth Champions League title in his second debut campaign with the Spanish giants. Since then, the 64-year-old has broken several records, becoming the first coach to manage 200 matches in the UCL, and the manager with the most wins in the competition (116 after the most recent win over Bayern), according to UEFA.
With 27 major top-flight titles to his name and a long list of records in Europe's most elite club competition, it is criminal that he appears to be held in less regard than the likes of Guardiola and Ferguson, who are statistically inferior to him in the Champions League.
Moreover, Ancelotti is arguably the most consistent manager of his generation, and his reputation as the best in man-management has been echoed by the likes of Jude Bellingham and Karim Benzema.
In 2022, Ancelotti explained the secret to his famed man-management ability, which has garnered him incredible success.
"I think that the methodology of training in football has changed a lot in the last 20 years," he said, according to Football Espana. "So I've had to be ready to change my style and my idea of football, because the rules have changed. It's a completely different sport. But what hasn't changed is my relationship with the players. That's the same.
"The important thing is the relationships you have with other people. I'm with my players every day – actually, it's not right to call them my players. I'm with my friends every day. Because there's the player and then there's the person.
"Players are people playing football. When you ask most of them who they are, they'll say that they're a player. But no, they're men who play football. And sometimes I tell them that I put the player on the bench, not the man. If you're a serious professional who respects the people they work with, you'll always come out top."
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The man deserves his flowers and more!
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