It’s a journey from amateur to global star. Everyone has their own path.
But
what do these five share?
They are united by the only football coach in the world who managed to win the
top
5
European leagues
2003/ 2004
milan italy
seria a
2009/ 2010
chelsea england
Premier League
2012/ 2013
psg france
Ligue 1
2016/ 2017
bayern germany
Bundesliga
2021/ 2022
real madrid cf spain
la liga
and also managed to become a five-time Champions League winner, as a coach and twice as a player.
Back in 1976, at just 17, Carlo Ancelotti made his debut for Parma.
His grit and young age earned him the nickname
Carlito quickly attracted the attention of top clubs with his talent and was bought by Roma.
It was a new stage in his career, where Ancelotti became one of the best midfielders in Italy.
Playing for
seria a
Roma italia
1979/87
Carlo became a four-time winner of the Italian Cup in 1980, 1981, 1984, and 1986.
In 1983 he took part in the sensational Scudetto victory*. The team had not achieved this award since 1942.
*
the Scudetto refers to the form of all members of the team that won first place in the top league of the national Serie A championship the previous season.
This was the first and only time in Roma's history that the team reached the final. But before the final, Carlo
suffered a knee injury
which caused Ancelotti to miss the long-awaited final, and by the age of 25, he was left without menisci*
meniscus — a semi-circular cartilage tissue located in the knee joint.
typically, the loss of both menisci results in significant mobility limitations and increases the risk of various complications.
Most players who suffer such injuries end up hanging up their boots due to the inability to return to full fitness.
But not him.
Ancelotti didn't give up. In 1987, he made the move to AC Milan, which marked the golden era of his career.
Twice Serie A champions AND TWO European Cups
Carlo became a key player in a squad that included legends like Paolo Maldini and Marco van Basten.
However, frequent injuries and reduced playing time forced Ancelotti to retire at 33.
But he had no plans of leaving football. His journey was just beginning.
went from a hard-working football player
to a head coach
At 33, as Parma's head coach, he spotted a future football star.
Gianluigi Buffon
Carlo truly foresaw the future greatness of the legendary goalkeeper.
He gave the young lad his debut, sending Italy's national team keeper Bucci to the bench.
Buffon didn't disappoint, reaching incredible heights and winning
(1)
europe
UEFA Cup
(10)
italy
Serie A
(6)
italy
Coppa Italia
(7)
italy
Supercoppa Italiana
(1)
france
Ligue 1
(1)
world
World Cup
Buffon's achievements and titles are endless, but the man behind these accomplishments is Carlo Ancelotti, as the player himself mentioned in interviews.
I OWE IT ALL TO ANCELOTTI
He gave me my debut when I was young and made me the first-choice keeper instead of Bucci, who was the national team's goalkeeper at the time.
Madness!
In 2001, Carlo Ancelotti returned to his native club to once again leave his mark, but already as a coach.
This transition was not just a return to the old field, but also an opportunity to once again write your name into the golden pages of the club’s history.
During his 8 years at Milan, he won every trophy, including two Champions League titles
His success came from a revolutionary decision that football had no answer for at the time.
And the key player in this winning formula was
Andrea Pirlo
New Tactics
AC milano
2001
With these new tactics, Pirlo became the conductor of the attack.
He was untouchable, shielded by two tough enforcers, Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso.
They provided the space needed for launching attacks.
CAM
attacking midfielder
Ancelotti redefined Pirlo's role, moving him from a 'CAM' to a 'CDM'
CDM
This approach revolutionized tactics, paving the way for other managers.
He transformed my career
He placed me just in front of the defense, where I acted as a CDM. This changed the trends in Italian football. I was fortunate to cross paths with Ancelotti at Milan.
Milano faced financial problems, and in 2009 Carlo took charge of Chelsea.
In just a year, Ancelotti brought the club the FA Community Shield and the Double
The Double, in association football, is the achievement of winning a country's top tier division and its primary domestic cup competition in the same season.
Despite his achievements, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sacked Ancelotti, and Carlo moved to France to manage PSG.
PARIS
SAINT- GERMAIN
He didn't come into an easy situation. He had a lot of work to do in building a team capable of winning.
PSG was a cash-rich club. The owners bought many star players, which was part of the problem.
Ancelotti
found faults
in all
From the players' mentality to the staff's work ethic. Carlo took on the task of forming the entire team.
They needed a leader who could command the star-studded squad. Ancelotti called upon Zlatan Ibrahimović for this role.
'Go home and write in your diary that you trained with Zlatan today – it might not happen again.' There were no more divas.
Ancelotti restructured the entire club and won the French league title, which had eluded them since 1994.
And Zlatan became the top scorer of the season.
The owners wanted everything instantly, but Carlo missed out on the Champions League and cups, leading to his dismissal.
PSG won the league 1 10 times in the next 12 years
No one knew then that Carlo had laid the foundation for PSG's dominance in France.
REAL
Club
MADRID
de Fútbol
Under Carlo, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or and the Golden Boot
Ancelotti himself added to his trophy haul with the 2014 IFHHS award for best club coach.
However, in two years, he couldn't win La Liga, leading to his dismissal despite high achievements.
Ancelotti built a winning team and nurtured a future Real Madrid coach.
Zinedine Zidane
Zidane began his coaching career as Ancelotti's assistant and inherited his style.
Zidane continued Carlo's work and led the team to victories in
(2)
spain
la liga
(2)
spain
supercopa
(3)
europe
UEFA cl
(2)
world
fifa cwc
Despite Carlo's absence, his influence persisted until Zidane stepped down as head coach in 2021.
After being dismissed, Ancelotti took a break from coaching. Rumors circulated about his retirement.
After a year off, he returned to focus on struggling clubs.
fired
His bad streak continued.
REAL
Club
MADRID
de Fútbol
In his first year back, Ancelotti won the Champions League and La Liga.
But his return came at a difficult time. The team had internal conflicts.
A real incident: team captain Karim Benzema asked not to pass to Vinicius and to ignore him during the match.
Vinicius Junior
Vinicius was weak
Vini was out of shape after an injury, faced psychological issues, and had unclear career prospects.
Carlo conveyed the importance of maturity and personal development to the player.
Vinicius started working on himself: he trained harder, saw a psychologist, and hired a personal physiotherapist who monitored his fitness and diet.
The result: Vinicius got into top shape and, under Carlo's guidance, found his place, even scoring the winning goal in the 2021/2022 Champions League final.
Carlo restored team spirit and brought new energy to the game
Thanks to Vinicius' assists, Karim won the Ballon d'Or, presented by Zinedine Zidane.
Carlo Ancelotti has made a huge contribution to nurturing global football stars, making him an exceptional figure in this great sport.
