It’s the story of a left eyebrow that goes through the decades as if nothing had happened. A left eyebrow that has become legendary everywhere it has gone, just like its owner, who described it as simply “uncontrollable” in 2016. Saturday evening, this same left eyebrow will experience a new Champions League final, after having played in three with AC Milan (2003 – 2005 – 2007) and one with Real Madrid (2014). Yes, we are talking about Carlo Ancelotti, the man who always knew how to tame the haircut with the big ears but never his eyebrow. At the Stade de France, the Italian technician and his lifelong sidekick will have a lot to do, since Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp do not intend to be so easily coaxed. “Carletto”, however, can count on the support of his country, which will be largely behind him.
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Carlo Ancelotti remains a classic coach, like the blue or gray suit
At the beginning of May, after Real Madrid’s victory against Manchester City in the C1 semi-finals, the Gazzetta dello Sport also asked the question: “Is he the greatest of all time?“. In front of him, legends like Arrigo Sacchi, who revolutionized football with his Milan of the 90s, Giovanni Trapattoni, the most victorious with his clubs, Marcello Lippi, winner of scudetti, C1 and Mondial, Fabio Capello, Nereo Rocco , Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri, who recently paid tribute to him: “He has accomplished something extraordinary (…) He is a coach who is never outdated. As I always say, fashions pass, and the classics remain. Carlo Ancelotti remains a classic coach, like the blue or gray suit (…) We just have to admire and applaud him“.
For Sacchi, Ancelotti managed to “honor” his country wherever he went. “He is a great person, a coach who has been ranked eighth among the greatest in the history of this sport by France Football.“, he confided in December 2019. Hailed by his peers, “Carletto” also achieved a real feat: to achieve unanimity among the tifosi of La Botte, although undermined by the omnipresent rivalry between clubs (those of Juve , moreover, did not really appreciate his time on the bench between 1999 and 2001. In a poll carried out by the Tuttomercatoweb site in mid-May, he was thus elected the greatest coach in the history of football With 58.19% of the vote (out of 3,099 voters), he was ahead of Marcello Lippi (17.97%), Arrigo Sacchi (14.2%) and Fabio Capello (3.52%).
“He is one of the best, I want to salute his new qualification in the final“, greeted José Mourinho for his part after the qualification of AS Roma in the final of the Europa League Conference. Like the Portuguese, Ancelotti has also experienced more critical periods in recent years, especially during his time on the bench of the Premier League. Naples.
A Neapolitan divorce without consequences
Between the native of Reggiolo and the Parthenopean club, the story, which only lasted a little over a year, ended in pain. At the time, his dressing room was in tatters. Despite a green order decreed by their management, Lorenzo Insigne and his teammates decide to revolt after a match against Salzburg (1-1) in the Champions League to return home. A real mutiny which notably provoked an altercation between Edo De Laurentiis, vice-president and son of the boss Aurelio, and the leaders of the group. For his part, Ancelotti, whose attempt at mediation was unsuccessful, said he was “against” the choice of his president at a press conference. The beginning of the end. And as often with “ADL”, the divorce does not go really well. But the latter has not tarnished the image of “Carletto” on the other side of the Alps, where his personality, his authenticity, his good humor and his simplicity have always pleased the general public.
“When the coach and the leaders are not on the same wavelength, it is normal to separateconfided Ancelotti in September 2021. It was the right choice, this divorce was good for both parties“For many, the three C1 technician was probably too big for a reality like Napoli. Same thing for Everton soon after.”He is a coach who knows how to win and does it quite wellrecognized Aurelio De Laurentiis three weeks ago. However, he needs to lead teams made up of stars, “top players” (…) He is a fuoriclasse who had the misfortune of not appearing sympathetic in the eyes of the Neapolitan tifosi. He did not have the malice to achieve this and was never seen as “one of us” by the ultras.”
Ancelotti and the Nazionale, an impossible dream?
At almost 63 years old, Carlo Ancelotti is necessarily starting to think about his possible retirement. But will he really take it without ever having taken on the prestigious costume of coach of the Nazionale? Despite several refusals in recent years, especially after the defeat against Sweden in the World Cup play-offs in 2017, the “Mister” still remains the number one choice of the sixty million transalpine coaches. A real plebiscite which does not raise eyebrows Ancelotti, under contract until 2024 with Real Madrid.
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“After Real, I will probably stop. But if Real keep me here for ten years, I will train for ten years. I would like to spend time with my grandchildren, go on vacation with my wife, there are so many things that I have neglected and that I would like to do. Go to lots of places I’ve never been“, he revealed a few weeks ago in an interview with Prime Video. And the Nazionale, then? “There could be a national team but it’s premature for now“, admitted Arrigo Sacchi’s assistant during the Nazionale adventure until the 1994 World Cup final, without however saying more. Fate could take care of the rest …
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