HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Carlo Ancelotti (; born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former
player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
who is the manager of the Brazil national team. Nicknamed "Carletto" in Italy and "Don Carlo" in Spain, he is regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time. Ancelotti has won the UEFA Champions League five times, a record for a manager, and is the only manager to take part in six Champions League finals. Ancelotti is also the only manager to win league titles in all of Europe's top five leagues. He has won the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
three times and has won the
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
five times, a record for a manager. As a player, Ancelotti won two European Cups with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, making him one of seven people to have won the European Cup/Champions League as both a player and a manager. He played as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
and began his career with Italian club
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, helping the club get promoted to
Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
in the 1978–79 season. He moved to Roma the following season, where he won a
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
title and four Coppa Italia titles. He then played for the late 1980s Milan team and won many titles, including two ''Scudetti'' and two European Cups. At international level, he had 26 appearances and one goal for the Italy national team. He represented Italy at two
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
s and at the UEFA Euro 1988, finishing in third place at the
1990 World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
and being a semi-finalist at the Euro tournament. As a manager, Ancelotti worked for Reggiana, Parma, and Juventus between 1995 and 2001. He then joined Milan in 2001 and went on to win both the 2002–03 Champions League and 2002–03 Coppa Italia. The following season, he won the ''Scudetto'' with an Italian record of 82 points. In 2007, he won his second Champions League with Milan. Ancelotti was awarded the Serie A Coach of the Year twice. He resigned from Milan after the 2008–09 season and was the club's longest-serving manager. In 2009, Ancelotti became the manager of Chelsea and won the domestic double of the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
and the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
in his first season. In 2011, he became the manager of Paris Saint-Germain; the following season, he won their first
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
title in 19 years and was awarded joint Ligue 1 Manager of the Year. Following his success in France, Ancelotti became the manager of Real Madrid. In his first season, he led Real Madrid to their tenth Champions League title and a
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
title. Despite winning more trophies with the club and being awarded the Miguel Muñoz Trophy in 2014–15 for the best manager in La Liga, Ancelotti was dismissed from Real Madrid in May 2015. He became the manager of Bayern Munich in 2016 and won the
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
title in his first season. Following stints at Napoli and Everton between 2018 and 2021, he returned to Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, where he won two La Liga–Champions League doubles in 2022 and 2024. In 2025, he was appointed as coach of a national team for the first time when he took on the position with Brazil.


Club career


Parma

Ancelotti began his career in 1974 with
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
. He made his professional debut in
Serie C The Serie C (), officially known as Serie C NOW for sponsorship purposes, is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing ...
during the 1976–77 season, at the age of 18. Under manager Cesare Maldini, he was often deployed as an attacking midfielder or as a second striker, due to his eye for goal. Ancelotti excelled in these roles and helped Parma to a second place in the Serie C1 girone A during the 1978–79 season, which qualified the team for the Serie B play-offs. In the decisive match in Vicenza, against Triestina, with the score tied at 1–1, he scored two goals, which gave Parma a 3–1 victory and sealed their place in
Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
the following season.


Roma

After attracting strong interest from
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
, in mid-1979 Ancelotti transferred to Roma, and made his Serie A debut in a 0–0 draw against AC Milan on 16 September. Under manager
Nils Liedholm Nils Erik Liedholm (; 8 October 1922 – 5 November 2007) was a Swedish association football, football midfielder and coach. ''Il Barone'' (the Baron), as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of the Swedish "Gre-No-Li ...
, he was deployed as a winger or central midfielder and became one of the club's most important players, in a team which featured Brazilian midfielders Falcão and Toninho Cerezo, as well as Italian footballers Roberto Pruzzo, Bruno Conti, Agostino Di Bartolomei and Pietro Vierchowod, winning consecutive Coppa Italia titles in his first two seasons with the club. During his eight seasons in Rome, he won the Coppa Italia a total of four times (1980, 1981, 1984 and 1986). After struggling with knee injuries, and managing second and third-place league finishes in 1981 and 1982, Ancelotti helped lead the team to win the Italian championship in
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
, the club's second league title in their history. In the following season, Ancelotti helped Roma to win another Coppa Italia title and reach the European Cup final in 1984, although he missed the final through injury, as Roma were defeated by
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
on penalties at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. He was named the team's captain in 1985 under new club manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, and served as a mentor to the young midfielder Giuseppe Giannini, as Roma won the Coppa Italia, but once again narrowly missed out on the league title during the 1985–86 Serie A season, finishing in second place behind Juventus.


AC Milan

From 1987 until 1992, Ancelotti played for Milan, and was a key part of the squad that won the Serie A title in 1988, consecutive European Cups in 1989 and 1990, two European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and a Supercoppa Italiana under manager Arrigo Sacchi. During this time, Milan, under the financial backing of club president
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...
, featured players such as Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti and Alessandro Costacurta as defenders; Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Roberto Donadoni as midfielders; and Marco van Basten upfront. One of Ancelotti's most memorable moments with Milan was when he received a pass from Ruud Gullit, dribbled around two
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
players and netted a powerful long-range shot during the ''Rossoneri's'' 5–0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the 1989 European Cup semi-finals. He went on to play all 90 minutes in Milan's 4–0 win over Steaua București in the final. The following season, Ancelotti suffered an injury to his left knee in the quarter-finals of the European Cup against
KV Mechelen Yellow Red Koninklijke Voetbalclub Mechelen (), often called KV Mechelen (, KVM) or simply by their former French name Malinois /ˌmalɪˈnwɑː/, is a Belgian professional association football, football club based in Mechelen in the Antwerp (pr ...
, which forced him to miss the semi-finals, although he was able to return in time to help Milan defend their title against Benfica in the final, held in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. Following Sacchi's departure, he won a second Serie A title under his replacement Fabio Capello during the 1991–92 Serie A season, as Milan won the title undefeated, but persistent knee injuries and competition from youngster Demetrio Albertini limited his playing time, and eventually forced him into premature retirement at the end of the season, at the age of 33. He played the final match of his career with the club in a 4–0 home win over Hellas Verona on 17 May 1992, in which he came off the bench in the final 20 minutes of the game and scored two goals, and was given an ovation by the fans.


International career

Under manager Enzo Bearzot, Ancelotti made his Italy national team debut and scored his first and only goal on 6 January 1981 in the 1980 World Champions' Gold Cup against the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He was very likely to be capped for the 1982 World Cup campaign, but a dramatic knee injury forced him away for several months, as Italy went on to win the tournament without him. He was a part of Italy's squad in the 1986 World Cup, but did not make a single appearance, as both he and Paolo Rossi struggled during the team's fitness tests, due to the altitude of the region, and were replaced in the starting line-up by Fernando De Napoli and Giuseppe Galderisi, respectively. Under new Italy manager Azeglio Vicini, he was a key member of the Italy squad that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1988, and was also set to represent his nation at the Summer Olympics in Seoul that summer. An injury to the meniscus of his right knee, however, prevented him from taking part in the tournament, where Italy ultimately managed a fourth-place finish. Ancelotti later went on to play in the
1990 World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
on home soil under Vicini at the age of 31, although another injury in the first group match against
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
once again limited his appearances in the competition to just three, and kept him on the sidelines until the third-place final against
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, in which he returned to help Italy to a 2–1 win. Ancelotti made a total of 26 performances for the Italy national side, and announced his retirement from international football in 1991, making his final Italy appearance under Arrigo Sacchi.


Style of play

Ancelotti was a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
known for his leadership and creativity; he was regarded as one of the best Italian midfielders of his generation. Although he lacked pace and physicality, he was a talented, hardworking, and tenacious player who had excellent technical ability, tactical intelligence, vision, and passing range; his most notable skill being his powerful and accurate shooting from outside the box. A versatile midfielder, he was capable playing several midfield positions. He often played as a deep-lying playmaker, as a
central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, or as a defensive midfielder, which allowed him to set the tempo of play after winning back the ball; he was also the mentor and predecessor of Demetrio Albertini and Andrea Pirlo when he was a playmaker at Milan. Despite his abilities, his playing time was cut short by several injuries, which forced him into retirement in 1992 at the age of 33.


Managerial career


Reggiana

Ancelotti undertook his coaching studies at Coverciano, where he penned a research article entitled "Il Futuro del Calcio: Più Dinamicità" (English: "The Future of Football: More Dynamism"). After serving as an assistant manager with the Italy national team under his former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi between 1992 and 1995, and reaching the 1994 World Cup final, Ancelotti began his managerial career with Serie B side Reggiana in 1995–96 season, where he immediately aided the team in achieving promotion to Serie A; he left after the 1995–96 Serie B season, finishing with a record of 17 wins, fourteen draws and ten losses in his only season with the club.


Parma

Ancelotti joined Parma the following season, a team which had recently enjoyed several years of domestic and European success under the previous manager Nevio Scala, and which contained several promising young players, including future Italy stars
Gianluigi Buffon Gianluigi Buffon (; born 28 January 1978) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is ...
and
Fabio Cannavaro Fabio Cannavaro (; born 13 September 1973) is an Italian professional association football, football coach and former player who last was the head coach of Croatian club GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Dinamo Zagreb. He is regarded as one of the greatest De ...
. Ancelotti made his debut in the Coppa Italia in a 3–1 loss to
Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...
. Ancelotti made several changes at the club, implementing a rigorous Sacchi-inspired 4–4–2 formation, and initially deploying creative forward Gianfranco Zola out of position on the left wing in order to accommodate Hristo Stoichkov up-front, although both players were later eventually sold by the club after lack of playing time, due to struggling to perform in this system. With the new attacking partnership of Enrico Chiesa and Hernán Crespo, Parma finished second in Serie A during the 1996–97 season under Ancelotti, which guaranteed them a place in the next edition of the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
. The following season, the club had agreed to sign another Italian creative forward, Roberto Baggio, but Ancelotti impeded the transfer as he once again did not feel that a player like Baggio would fit into his tactical plans. Ancelotti later stated that he regretted this decision, stating that at the time he believed that the 4–4–2 was the ideal formation for success, and that offensive playmakers were not compatible with this system. After suffering a first round elimination in the 1997–98 Champions League, and a semi–final appearance in the Coppa Italia, Ancelotti was only able to guide Parma to a sixth-place finish in Serie A during the 1997–98 season, and was dismissed at the end of the season, despite qualifying the team for next season's
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
.


Juventus

In February 1999, Ancelotti was appointed manager of Juventus, where he both succeeded and preceded Marcello Lippi, who returned to the club when Ancelotti left. With Juventus, Ancelotti became less rigorous with the team's formation, abandoning his favoured 4–4–2 in order to accommodate French playmaker
Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; ; ''Zineddin Lyazid Zidan''; ; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as an attacking midfi ...
in his preferred free role behind the forwards in the team's starting line-up. Juventus reached the semi-finals of the Champions League during the 1998–99 season, losing out to eventual champions
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, but finished in seventh place in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
, failing to qualify for the Champions League the following season and also losing out to Udinese on aggregate in the UEFA Cup play-offs, meaning they qualified for the Intertoto Cup. Ancelotti's first full season at Juventus began promisingly, as he immediately won the Intertoto Cup with the club by beating
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
4–2 on aggregate, although Juventus suffered a round of 16 elimination in the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, and lost the league title to
Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
by a single point on the final match-day of the season; this was after surrendering a five-point lead with three games remaining, which drew strong criticism from the board of directors. The following season, Ancelotti went trophyless, suffering a first-round elimination in the Champions League, and finishing runner-up in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
yet again, to Roma, and he was dismissed by Juventus. Ancelotti's dismissal was announced by Juventus at half-time in the final league game of the season at home against
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
, on 17 June 2001, even though they were still within a chance of winning the title; Juventus won the match 2–1, although the result was not enough to prevent them from finishing behind Roma in the league. Ancelotti finished his tenure with Juventus with a record of 63 wins, 33 draws and 18 losses.


AC Milan

Ancelotti was appointed Milan manager on 5 November 2001, after
Fatih Terim Fatih Terim (born 4 September 1953) is a Turkish people, Turkish professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. He is the manager of Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab FC (Riyadh), Al-Shabab ...
was dismissed due to poor results. He was inheriting another recently trophyless team in Milan, as the ''Rossoneri'' had floundered domestically and in Europe since their last ''Scudetto'' victory in 1999. In the 2001–02 season, Ancelotti led Milan to qualify for the Champions League once again, as the team managed a fourth-place finish in Serie A, and also reached semi-finals of the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, their best ever finish in the competition, losing out to
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
, and also suffered a semi-final elimination in the Coppa Italia to Juventus. The following season, Ancelotti – who was heavily criticised by club owner Silvio Berlusconi due to his supposedly defensive tactics – was able to adopt a creative play in Milan while making several changes to the team's squad. He made Dida, still maligned for his 2000–01 Champions League howler against Leeds United, his new starting goalkeeper barely a month into the season, while converting budding attacking midfielder Andrea Pirlo to a defensive midfielder, playing him behind the number 10 (either Rui Costa or Rivaldo) in front of the team's back-line as a deep-lying playmaker in a 4–3–1–2 or 4–1–2–1–2 formation. At the same time, Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko proved to be dominant and dynamic strikers, who were prolific in front of goal. Milan won the 2003 Champions League final, beating Juventus 3–2 on penalties at Old Trafford, and also won the 2003 Coppa Italia Final over Roma. The following season, with the addition of Brazilian attacking midfielder Kaká, and Ancelotti's formidable four-man back-line of Cafu, Costacurta, Alessandro Nesta and Maldini, Milan took home the UEFA Super Cup in 2003 over
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
, followed by the ''Scudetto'' in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
with an Italian record of 82 points from 34 games, while Shevchenko finished the season as the league's top-scorer. The ''Rossoneri'', however, suffered penalty-shootout defeats to Juventus in the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana, and to Boca Juniors in the 2003 Intercontinental Cup. They were also knocked out by
Deportivo de La Coruña Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña () or simply Depor, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia, that competes in the Segunda División, the ...
in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. Under Ancelotti's reign, Milan won the 2004 Supercoppa Italiana, and were also back-to-back Serie A runners-up to Juventus in 2004–05 and 2005–06 (both ''scudetti'' were later wiped from the record books of Juventus due to the club's involvement in the '' Calciopoli'' scandal). During the 2004–05 season, Ancelotti also led Milan to the 2005 Champions League final, where they lost out to Liverpool 2–3 on penalties after a 3–3 draw in normal time. In the Coppa Italia, the team was unable to get past the quarter finals. The following season, Milan once again faced disappointment as they lost out to
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in the Champions League semi-finals, and only reached the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia. After the departure of striker Andriy Shevchenko at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, Ancelotti was forced to redesign Milan's line-up once again, devising a 4–3–2–1 system that would later be known as his "Christmas Tree" formation. Milan's line-up used Inzaghi as a lone striker, supported by attacking midfielders Clarence Seedorf and Kaká, in front of a three-man midfield which featured Andrea Pirlo as a creative playmaker, supported by hard-working defensive midfielders Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini. Milan received an eight-point deduction during the 2006–07 Serie A season for their role in the ''Calciopoli'' scandal, which virtually put the team out of the title race, and instead led Ancelotti to focus on winning the Champions League. On 23 May 2007, Milan avenged their defeat to Liverpool two years earlier with a 2–1 win at the
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
in Athens in the 2007 Champions League final, leading to Ancelotti's second Champions League trophy as Milan coach and his fourth title overall, having also won it twice as a Milan player in 1989 and 1990. During the 2006–07 season, Milan also finished fourth in Serie A, and lost out to eventual champions Roma in the Coppa Italia semi-final. The next season, Ancelotti also won the 2007 UEFA Super Cup, as well as the club's first ever
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
in 2007, becoming the first manager to do so with a European side. After finishing the league in fifth place, Milan missed out on Champions League qualification, and also suffered round of 16 eliminations in the Champions League and Coppa Italia (to Arsenal and
Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
respectively). In Ancelotti's final season at the club, Milan managed a third-place finish in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
behind Juventus and cross-city rivals Inter, sealing a place in the next season's Champions League, while they were eliminated in the round of 32 of the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, and the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia. After previously denying rumours that he would be leaving the club, on 31 May 2009 Ancelotti announced his resignation from Milan – less than an hour after their 2–0 victory over Fiorentina in the final match of the season. In total, Ancelotti led Milan for 423 games; only Nereo Rocco has been in charge of the club for more matches.


Chelsea

On 1 June 2009, Ancelotti succeeded interim manager Guus Hiddink when he was confirmed as the new Chelsea manager after agreeing to a three-year contract, and formally assumed his duties on 1 July. Ancelotti became the club's fourth permanent manager in 21 months, following
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...
, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari. He was also the third Italian to manage Chelsea, after Gianluca Vialli and
Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Serie A club AS Roma, Roma but will leave on 30 June 2025, followin ...
. On 9 August 2009, Ancelotti won his first trophy as Chelsea manager, the Community Shield, beating
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
on penalties, following a 2–2 draw. His first
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
game in charge of the Blues ended in a 2–1 home victory over Hull City on 15 August. Chelsea lost their first match under Ancelotti at the DW Stadium away to
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
on 26 September, losing 1–3. They were eliminated from the League Cup on 2 December, reaching the quarter-finals stage, after a penalty shootout defeat to Blackburn Rovers after a 3–3 draw at Ewood Park. In the Champions League, Ancelotti returned to the San Siro for the first time since his departure from Milan, when his team faced Inter Milan, who was at the time coached by ex-Chelsea manager José Mourinho, at the Round of 16 stage. Ancelotti and Mourinho had a tense relationship from the previous season, as managers of Milan and Inter respectively. Chelsea were eliminated from the Champions League on 16 March 2010 after a 1–3 aggregate loss to Inter, having lost 1–2 away and 0–1 at Stamford Bridge. On 9 May 2010, Ancelotti led Chelsea to the Premier League title, beating Manchester United by one point and setting scoring records. The team finished the campaign with 103 goals, becoming the first team in the Premier League to score more than 100 goals in a season, and the first in the English top flight since Tottenham Hotspur in the 1962–63 season. Chelsea secured the title with an 8–0 victory over Wigan at Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti also became the first Italian manager to win the Premier League and only the fifth manager overall in the League's 18 seasons. On 15 May 2010, Ancelotti led Chelsea to its first ever domestic
double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...
by defeating
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
1–0 in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
final at Wembley; this was Chelsea's third
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
in four years, equalling the record set by Arsenal between 2002 and 2005. The following season, after having lost to Manchester United in the 2010 FA Community Shield in August, Ancelotti led Chelsea to the top of the table on the first weekend of the season thanks to a 6–0 rout of newly promoted West Bromwich Albion. Chelsea followed up this result with another 6–0 win, this time over Wigan, while Stoke City were beaten 2–0 in the next match. Chelsea had a good start to the season, winning their first five matches. Chelsea then lost 3–4 against Newcastle United on 23 September 2010 in the League Cup. They then went on to lose against Manchester City in the Premier League 0–1 after a cleverly-taken strike by City captain Carlos Tevez. Chelsea made a good start in Europe by beating MŠK Žilina and
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
4–1 and 2–0, respectively, in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League. Chelsea then defeated fourth-placed Arsenal 2–0 on 3 October 2010, courtesy of a goal from
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is the Top international association football goal scorers by cou ...
and a free-kick by defender
Alex Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people * Al ...
. Chelsea's next defeat of the season came against Liverpool at Anfield on 7 November 2010, where they lost 0–2 with both goals coming from Fernando Torres. A week later, Chelsea suffered their second Premier League defeat in three matches with a remarkable 0–3 home defeat to
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
. In their following five league games, they lost two and drew three games, culminating in a 1–3 loss to Arsenal at the
Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...
. On 5 January 2011, Chelsea suffered a shock 0–1 defeat at struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers, leaving them fifth in the league and in real danger of missing out on a Champions League place for the first time since 2002. This result led to Ancelotti ruling out Chelsea's chances of retaining the title, insisting that he did not fear that he would be dismissed. After this match, however, Chelsea's form began to improve. First with a 7–0 thrashing of Ipswich Town in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, and then a 2–0 victory over Blackburn, followed by emphatic away wins against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
and Sunderland, putting them in fourth position in the league, though still ten points behind leaders Manchester United. On 31 January 2011, Chelsea signed Liverpool striker Fernando Torres for a then-British record fee of £50 million, and Benfica defender David Luiz for £22 million. Chelsea lost 0–1 to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge but beat league leaders Manchester United on 1 March in a 2–1 comeback win that saw David Luiz net his first goal for Chelsea, which was followed by a 3–1 win away to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. Chelsea were later defeated by Manchester United at home and away (aggregate of 1–3) in the Champions League quarter-finals. Following their defeat in the Champions League, Chelsea made a remarkable comeback in the league, defeating Wigan 1–0 at home, West Brom 3–1 away,
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
3–1, West Ham United 3–0 and Tottenham 2–1 at home. Chelsea, who at one point were fifth and 15 points behind leaders Manchester United, vaulted into the second position the league, just three points behind them with three games left of the season. On 8 May, Chelsea lost 1–2 against Manchester United at Old Trafford to stay second in the league, now six points behind the leaders with just two more games to play. Ancelotti was dismissed less than two hours after a 0–1 away defeat against Everton on 22 May 2011, Chelsea's last Premier League match of the season. They had finished the 2010–11 Premier League in second place. He reportedly received a severance payment of £6 million from Chelsea. Ancelotti finished with a record of 67 wins, 20 draws and 22 losses in 109 matches. Ancelotti's win percentage at Chelsea was (as of May 2016) the third-highest in Premier League history, behind only José Mourinho and Alex Ferguson.


Paris Saint-Germain

On 30 December 2011, with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
with three points down to
Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
, Ancelotti was appointed as the new manager of the club on the same day as their previous manager, Antoine Kombouaré, was released from his contract. On 21 March 2012, Ancelotti experienced his first defeat in charge of PSG as the club fell to a 1–3 defeat at the hands of
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
in a
Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
quarter-final match. Ten days later, PSG suffered their first
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
defeat under Ancelotti when they lost 1–2 away to Nancy. PSG ended up as runners-up in Ligue 1 in Ancelotti's first season in charge, three points behind winners Montpellier. He also took PSG to the
Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
quarter-finals. The club were eliminated from the Coupe de la Ligue and
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
prior to Ancelotti's appointment. During Ancelotti's first full season at the club, PSG entered the winter break at the top of the
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
table, ahead of Lyon and Marseille on goal difference. They clinched the Ligue 1 title on 12 May 2013, with two matches to spare. The club reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they lost to Barcelona on the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
(3–3 on aggregate), the quarter-finals of the
Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
and the quarter-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue. On 19 May 2013, Ancelotti asked to leave the club, in order to join Real Madrid.


Real Madrid

On 25 June 2013, Ancelotti became the manager of Real Madrid, replacing the departing José Mourinho, and signing a three-year contract. He was introduced at a press conference at the Santiago Bernabéu, where it was also announced that Zinedine Zidane and Paul Clement would be his assistant coaches. Shortly following his arrival, Real Madrid confirmed the signing of Isco for a fee of €24 million, which was followed by the signing of Asier Illarramendi for €32 million. Argentinean striker Gonzalo Higuaín left the club for €40 million to Napoli. This, along with the sale of Mesut Özil to Arsenal, paved the way for
Gareth Bale Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh former professional Association football, footballer who played as a right winger, most notably for Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, and the Wales national ...
's signing from Tottenham Hotspur for then-world record fee of £86 million (€105M). In Ancelotti's first league game in charge, on 18 August 2013, Real Madrid started the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
by winning 2–1 at home against Real Betis. Ancelotti eventually deviated from the 4–2–3–1 formation that had been deployed by his predecessor José Mourinho, switching instead to a 4–3–3 formation to great effect, in which Argentine winger Ángel Di María particularly excelled as a left-sided central midfielder, and played a key role in the club's successes. On 16 April 2014, Ancelotti won his first major trophy as Real Madrid manager after they defeated Barcelona 2–1 in the
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
final held at the Mestalla Stadium. On 29 April, Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League by an aggregate score of 5–0 (1–0 in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
and 0–4 in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
), with ''Los Blancos'' reaching their first final since they last won the competition in 2002. Madrid finished third in the
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
, accumulating 87 points in total (level with Barcelona, losing out on the second place on a tie-breaker, and three behind champions Atlético Madrid). On 24 May, Real Madrid won their tenth Champions League trophy, after defeating recently crowned rivals Atlético Madrid in the final 4–1 after extra time. Ancelotti became only the second manager after Liverpool's Bob Paisley to win the competition on three occasions, and the first man to win the Champions League/European Cup twice as a player and three times as a manager to this day. On 12 August, Ancelotti started the new season by winning another European trophy, leading Real Madrid to a 2–0 victory over Sevilla in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup. In the last four months of 2014, his team set a Spanish record of 22 consecutive victories in all competitions that began on 16 September and culminated with Real Madrid's first FIFA Club World Cup title in December 2014, finishing the year with four trophies. On 1 December 2014, Ancelotti was nominated as one of the three finalists for the 2014 FIFA World Coach of the Year Award. On 19 January 2015, Ancelotti was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame and on 20 January 2015, he won the IFFHS 2014 Award as The World's Best Club Coach. Real Madrid finished the 2014–15 season in second place with 92 points, two off treble-winning Barcelona, and scoring a record 118 goals in the process. They were eliminated in the round of 16 of the
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
by Atlético Madrid, whom they faced eight times throughout the season (including the UCL quarter-finals), and lost 3–2 on aggregate to Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals. On 25 May 2015, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez announced that the club's board had taken "a very difficult decision" to relieve Ancelotti of his duties with immediate effect. Pérez stated that Ancelotti had won the hearts of both the board and fans, and would always have a place in the club's history because he was the coach that led them to the ''Décima''. "However at this club the demands are huge and we need a new impulse in order to win trophies and be at our best," he added. After leaving Madrid, Ancelotti held talks about a return to Milan, which he rejected, saying: "It was hard to say no to such a beloved club to me, but I need some rest. I wish them the best". He stated that he wanted to take a year off and undergo an operation for his spinal stenosis. He later relocated to
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, Canada.


Bayern Munich

On 20 December 2015, Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed that Ancelotti would replace Pep Guardiola as manager for the 2016–17 season, signing a three-year contract. His contract started on 1 July 2016. His first training session was on 11 July 2016, and his first match was a pre–season win against SV Lippstadt. His first match at Allianz Arena was a 1–0 pre–season win over his predecessor Guardiola's Manchester City. Bayern participated in the International Champions Cup. In the first match, Bayern lost to Milan in a shootout. In the second match, Bayern defeated Inter Milan. In the final match, Bayern lost to Real Madrid. On 14 August 2016, Bayern defeated Borussia Dortmund 2–0 in the 2016 DFL-Supercup. This was his first trophy as Bayern's manager. On 26 August 2016, in his Bundesliga debut, Bayern defeated Werder Bremen 6–0. In addition to defeating Borussia Dortmund, Carl Zeiss Jena and Werder Bremen, they defeated Schalke 04, Rostov, Ingolstadt 04, Hertha BSC and
Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...
to win his first eight matches as head coach, before losing to Atlético Madrid. They continued their winless streak against FC Köln and
Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...
, before beating PSV. After the win against Eindhoven, Bayern went on a three match winless streak. Bayern drew against 1899 Hoffenheim and lost against Borussia Dortmund and Rostov, before defeating Bayer Leverkusen. On 29 April, Ancelotti led Bayern to their fifth consecutive
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
title and their 27th overall, following a 6–0 away win over VfL Wolfsburg. However, Bayern were eliminated in the Champions League in a quarter-final clash against Ancelotti's former team Real Madrid. They also lost 3–2 to Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals. On 5 August 2017, Ancelotti started the 2017–18 season with Bayern Munich by retaining the DFL-Supercup, beating out Borussia Dortmund 5–4 on penalties, following a 2–2 draw after 90 minutes; this was the sixth time that Bayern had managed to win the title. However, on 28 September 2017, Ancelotti was dismissed as manager of Bayern Munich, following a 3–0 away loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the club's second group match of the 2017–18 Champions League the night before. After the Paris Saint-Germain match, reports surfaced that Ancelotti had lost the dressing room. It was reported that five senior players wanted Ancelotti out as manager, which Bayern's president Uli Hoeneß later confirmed. Questions were also raised about Ancelotti's tactical setup and team selection against Paris Saint-Germain, when he left several key players on the bench, and one was left to watch the match from the stands.


Napoli

On 23 May 2018, Ancelotti was appointed as head coach of Napoli, signing a three-year contract, replacing Maurizio Sarri in the role. On 19 August, he made his return to the Serie A, winning his first match as manager with a 2–1 away victory over Lazio. Napoli suffered a first round elimination in the Champions League, the first time since 2000 that Ancelotti failed to advance from this stage of the competition. Napoli eventually finished the 2018–19 Serie A season in second place, twelve points behind champions Juventus, and reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, losing out to Arsenal. On 10 December 2019, Ancelotti was dismissed, despite a 4–0 home win against
Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...
in their final 2019–20 UEFA Champions League match of the group stage that ensured Napoli's advancement to the round of 16; the club were in joint–seventh place in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
, alongside Parma, at the time, and had not won a league game in seven matches. The decision came after a summit with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis that had followed the match that was originally scheduled for 11 December.


Everton

On 21 December 2019, Ancelotti was appointed as manager of Everton on a four-and-a-half-year contract. His first match in charge was a 1–0 home victory over Burnley on 26 December. On 1 March 2020, Ancelotti was sent off after the full-time whistle, following an on-pitch conversation with referee Chris Kavanagh, who had ruled out a would-be late match-winning goal against Manchester United, due to an offside that was determined by VAR. He was charged with misconduct by the FA the following day. Ancelotti went on to record a total of eight wins, five draws and six losses in the league in his first season with the Blues, as Everton finished in 12th place. During the close-season, Ancelotti signed his former players James Rodríguez and Allan, along with Ben Godfrey, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Niels Nkounkou and loanee Robin Olsen. Everton started the 2020–21 season with seven consecutive wins in all competitions, and Ancelotti was named September's
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
. After a drop in form, a resumption of good results saw Everton end 2020 in fourth place, but knocked out of the EFL Cup, losing 2–0 to Manchester United in the quarter-final. Results for the remainder of the season were mixed, and Everton finished the season in 10th place.


Return to Real Madrid

On 1 June 2021, Ancelotti resigned from his position at Everton to rejoin Real Madrid, following Zidane's resignation, signing a contract until 2024. On 19 September 2021, Ancelotti reached the milestone of 800 league matches with clubs from the top five European leagues. On the domestic front, he delivered two trophies out of a possible three, winning
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
and the Supercopa de España. Thus, Ancelotti won all six available top trophies at Madrid, in addition to becoming the first manager to win all of Europe's top five leagues. Real Madrid's 5–4 aggregate win over defending champions Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals saw him become the first manager to reach the Champions League semi-finals in four different decades (the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s). In the Champions League final against Liverpool, Ancelotti's record fifth in the competition, a lone Vinícius goal sealed the 14th European Cup for ''Los Blancos'', and Ancelotti's second in charge. Real also claimed their fourth ever European double. With this win, Ancelotti became the first manager in history to win four Champions League titles. Ancelotti placed second in the 2022 Best FIFA Men's Coach award, behind winner Lionel Scaloni. At the start of the 2022–23 season, Ancelotti guided his club to a
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
victory, his eighth trophy at Madrid. On 2 November 2022, he broke Ferguson's record for most victories in the Champions League, after a 5–1 win over Celtic in the first round, which was his 103rd victory in the competition; the result also allowed Real Madrid to top their group and advance to the round of 16. On 11 February 2023, Ancelotti guided them to a fifth
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
trophy, as Real Madrid beat Al Hilal 5–3 in the final. Real Madrid finished the season second to Barcelona in
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
, and were also defeated by eventual champions Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals 5–1 on aggregate, but beat
Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish ...
2–1 to win the 2022–23 Copa del Rey. In the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, a 4–0 away defeat against Manchester City on 7 May, Ancelotti overtook Ferguson as the manager with the most appearances as a manager in the Champions League (191). Managing to win all three opening matches of Madrid's 2023–24 league campaign, he was named La Liga's Coach of the Month in August. With his team's 2–1 victory over Real Sociedad on 17 September 2023, Ancelotti got his 173rd Madrid win, overtaking Zinedine Zidane to become the coach with the second most wins in the club's history. On 29 December, although he had previously been linked with the position of head coach for the
Brazil national football team The Brazil national football team (), nicknamed ''Seleção Canarinho'' ("Canary Squad", after their bright yellow jersey), represents Brazil in men's international Association football, football and is administered by the Brazilian Football Co ...
, Real Madrid announced that Ancelotti had agreed to a contract extension until 30 June 2026. In the first leg of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals – a 3–3 home draw against defending champions Manchester City on 9 April 2024, Ancelotti became the first manager to make 200 appearances in the competition. In the second leg on 17 April, Real Madrid overcame Manchester City 4–3 on penalties to advance to the semi-finals of the competition, following a 4–4 draw on aggregate; the result meant that Ancelotti equalled Pep Guardiola's record of reaching the Champions League semi-finals on ten different occasions as a manager. Following rivals Barcelona's 4–2 defeat to Girona on 4 May, Ancelotti's Real Madrid clinched the league title mathematically; Real Madrid had defeated Cadíz 3–0 the previous day. With his twelfth title for the club overall, he overtook Zidane as the manager with the second–most title victories with Real Madrid, behind only Miguel Muñoz (14). In the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals on 9 May, Real Madrid made a late comeback to achieve a 2–1 home win over Bayern Munich and advance to the 2024 UEFA Champions League final 4–3 on aggregate, against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, Ancelotti's record sixth final in the competition. On 1 June, Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2–0 to win their 15th Champions League's trophy, and Ancelotti's fifth title. Two months later, on 14 August, he achieved his record fifth
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
trophy with a 2–0 victory over
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
, becoming the joint most decorated coach in the club's history along with Miguel Muñoz with 14 titles. Later that year, on 18 December, he clinched his record-breaking 15th title with the club following a 3–0 victory over Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final. In the 2024–25 season, Ancelotti led Real Madrid through a series of high-profile matches in both domestic and European competitions. In the quarter-finals, Real Madrid faced Arsenal. The first leg at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal secure a 3–0 victory, putting Madrid at a significant disadvantage. In the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, Arsenal won 2–1, resulting in a 5–1 aggregate defeat for Real Madrid and ending their Champions League campaign. Domestically, Ancelotti's Real Madrid faced Barcelona in multiple competitions. In the Supercopa de España final on 12 January 2025, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5–2, with Raphinha scoring twice for the Catalan side. On 26 April 2025, the two teams met in the Copa del Rey final, where Barcelona emerged victorious with a 3–2 win after extra time, courtesy of a late goal by Jules Koundé. In La Liga, the El Clásico on 11 May 2025 ended in a 4–3 defeat for Real Madrid, despite a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappé, effectively ending their title hopes, with Barcelona going on to win the league on 15 May. On 23 May 2025, Real Madrid officially announced that Ancelotti would leave the club at the end of the season. He was replaced by former player Xabi Alonso, whom he had managed at Madrid and Bayern Munich.


Brazil

On 12 May 2025, the
Brazilian Football Confederation The Brazilian Football Confederation (, CBF) is the governing body of football in Brazil. It was founded on Monday, 8 June 1914, as , and renamed Confederação Brasileira de Desportos in 1916. The football confederation, as known today, sepa ...
appointed Ancelotti as the new manager of the Brazil national team. He signed a one-year deal and officially took over on 26 May. Brazil is Ancelotti’s first international experience as a full-time coach, he was an assistant to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
coach Arrigo Sacchi at the 1994 World Cup. On 26 May, he made his first call-up by naming a 25-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
and
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
. He made his debut on 5 June, in a goalless draw against Ecuador, and his first win against Paraguay on 10 June which lead to their qualification spot for the
2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's Association football, soccer championship contested by the List of men's n ...
.


Style of management and reception

Toward the beginning of his coaching career, and during his time with
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, Ancelotti preferred to use a rigorous 4–4–2 formation, which made use of heavy pressing, and drew influence from that of his AC Milan and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
coach Arrigo Sacchi, and which he believed to be the most successful system for his team; however, this system did not allow for more creative forwards, such as Gianfranco Zola, Hristo Stoichkov and Roberto Baggio, to play in their preferred positions, and ultimately led to Zola and Stoichkov's departure from the club, while Baggio's transfer to Parma in 1997 was impeded by Ancelotti. Ancelotti later stated that he regretted his intransigence, and when he joined Juventus, he abandoned his favoured 4–4–2 in favour of a 3–4–1–2 system, in order to accommodate
Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; ; ''Zineddin Lyazid Zidan''; ; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as an attacking midfi ...
in his preferred advanced playmaking role behind the forwards. In addition to Sacchi, Ancelotti has also cited his former Roma manager
Nils Liedholm Nils Erik Liedholm (; 8 October 1922 – 5 November 2007) was a Swedish association football, football midfielder and coach. ''Il Barone'' (the Baron), as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of the Swedish "Gre-No-Li ...
, and his youth coach Bruno Mora as major influences. The positive leadership style of his Roma manager Sven-Göran Eriksson also inspired Ancelotti's own coaching style. Despite Ancelotti's initial reputation as a tactically inflexible coach, with Milan, he later drew praise for his ability to find systems which would best suit his players, and which allowed several talented and creative players to co-exist; under Ancelotti's management, the club enjoyed one of the most fruitful spells in its history. Ancelotti's Milan sides almost always used a strong four-man back-line, a main striker and an attacking midfielder. In his first seasons with the club, although he was initially criticised by the club's president
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...
, due to his supposedly defensive tactics, Ancelotti was able to implement a more creative playing style based on possession when he notably adopted a 4–3–1–2, 4–1–2–1–2 or 4–4–2 diamond formation. While still preserving the team's strong defensive line, he converted attacking midfielder Andrea Pirlo to a deep-lying playmaker, which saw him play in a seemingly defensive midfield role in front of the back-line, and behind the team's advanced playmaker, either Rui Costa or Rivaldo, giving the Italian more time on the ball to orchestrate the team's attacking moves from deeper areas, or to create goalscoring opportunities for the team's prolific strikers with his accurate long passing ability; the team's two playmakers were supported defensively by box-to-box midfielders on either side of them in the midfield diamond. Due to competition from Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Roque Júnior, Dario Šimić, and later Jaap Stam in defence, he also converted former centre-back Alessandro Costacurta to a defensive left-back, alternating him with Kakha Kaladze or Giuseppe Pancaro, while, due to the club's narrow midfield, the club's attacking right-back, Cafu, was given licence to attack and provide width to the team; due to Cafu's offensive capabilities, Ancelotti occasionally fielded a 4–4–1–1 or 3–4–1–2 formation, which saw Cafu used as an outright winger, along with Serginho or Marek Jankulovski on the left. After the departure of one of the club's main strikers at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, Andriy Shevchenko, Ancelotti redesigned Milan's line-up, devising a 4–3–2–1 system, later known as his "Christmas Tree" formation. Milan's line-up used either Filippo Inzaghi or Alberto Gilardino as a lone striker, supported by two attacking midfielders, Clarence Seedorf and Kaká, in front of a three-man midfield which once again featured Andrea Pirlo as a deep-lying playmaker, supported by two hard-working defensive midfielders, such as Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini, or Cristian Brocchi. Moving to Chelsea, in the 2009–10 season Ancelotti continued with the 4–4–2 diamond formation used previously at Milan, often with Michael Essien or Mikel John Obi in the defensive role, Michael Ballack or Frank Lampard as box to box midfielders and Deco in a creative role, with full-backs Ashley Cole and José Bosingwa pushing forward and providing width to the narrow midfield. Later in the season the Africa Cup of Nations left Chelsea without strikers Salomon Kalou or
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is the Top international association football goal scorers by cou ...
(as well as midfielders Essien and Mikel) and harder to play with a 4–4–2, so Ancelotti switched to the 4–3–2–1 "Christmas Tree" formation he had also used at Milan, using Joe Cole and Florent Malouda to support lone striker Nicolas Anelka. He also used the 4–2–3–1 and 4–3–3 to be less predictable and better use creative players like Lampard and Malouda. At
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, Ancelotti similarly drew praise for his versatility; he modified the team's 4–2–3–1 formation, which had been used under
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...
, to a 4–4–2 formation, before settling on a 4–3–3 formation, in which Argentine former winger Ángel Di María was converted to a left-sided central midfielder, while Cristiano Ronaldo was played in his preferred free role on the left wing rather than as a striker, as Ancelotti had initially intended. Di María particularly excelled in this new role and played a key role in the club's successes. Ancelotti later explained that his use of Ronaldo in a free role on the left flank was due to the fact that the winger's style of play was less suited to a playing with his back to goal as a centre-forward; the wider role instead allowed him space to roam freely around the attack. Striker
Karim Benzema Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for and Captain (association football), captains Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad Clu ...
was instead tasked with acting as a false 9 in the centre, while
Gareth Bale Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh former professional Association football, footballer who played as a right winger, most notably for Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, and the Wales national ...
played as an inverted winger on the opposite flank to Ronaldo. Although he initially sought to use an offensive-minded possession–based style, he instead adopted a quick counter-attacking style, as he noticed that his players were more suited to attacking in that manner. In addition to Ancelotti's tactical prowess and adaptability, he has also drawn praise for his kindness, good humour, and his calm, balanced approach as a manager, as well as his ability to motivate his players and cultivate a good relationship with them, and foster a united, winning team environment, although he has also been known to lose his temper at times. During Ancelotti's first season with Bayern Munich, Spanish midfielder Thiago praised Ancelotti for the freedom he gave the players to express themselves and for the confidence with which he instilled them; Ancelotti commented on the tactical changes he implemented at Bayern Munich, stating " e main change is we press a bit more intermittently and we try to play more directly, more vertically," also adding that "if you're organised even an ordinary player can do very well because he'll have options and he'll know where they are and how to find them. But when you get to the final third, everything changes. That's where you need creativity and freedom because without it you only have sterile possession. Especially if your opponent's defence is organised and has been paying attention". During Ancelotti's second spell at Real Madrid, although he implemented a more simple but effective counter–attacking style with the team, Ancelotti once again earned praise in the media for his balanced approach, adaptability, and man–management abilities during the club's run to a Liga–Champions League double; his ability to develop a strong relationship with his players and his willingness to consult them on tactical decisions were singled out by several pundits in particular as reasons for the team's success and unity. Regarding this aspect of his coaching philosophy, he commented in 2022: "I think that the methodology of training in football has changed a lot in the last 20 years. 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." In contrast to his first spell in the Spanish capital, Benzema was now given a free attacking role, becoming the focal point of the team's offensive line; this new role enabled the striker to be extremely prolific, which was a key component to the team's success. In an episode of ''Universo Valdano'' in 2022, Ancelotti commented on his coaching style in the latter part of his career: "I am not an obsessive person. I like football a lot, it's a passion of mine, but I try to keep things as simple as possible. Football for me isn't complicated." He also said that he preferred to instruct his players on the defensive part of the game – as it requires more organisation – rather than the attacking aspect of the game, so as not to stifle their creativity going forward. He later also commented on his style in 2023 in comparison to other managers: "The mistakes that the new generation of coaches make is that they give too much information to the players about the game in possession. I'm old school and I think this takes a bit of creativity away. It's one thing to tell them the position without the ball, where you have to work hard and play as a team, but in possession, if they're comfortable when they come a bit wider, I'm not going to tell them to go inside. It's an individual interpretation of the game with the ball and I don't want to take away each player's creativity." However, he later dismissed criticism that he was an "old–school" manager, citing his longevity and success as evidence of his adaptability. In an interview with ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', in the lead-up to the 2024 Champions League final, Ancelotti commented on the limits of teams having "only one identity," also adding that his "style" was "not recognised" because he changed. He said that against Roberto De Zerbi's Shakhtar Donetsk, en route to his last Champions League title, he instructed his players not to press them, so that they would not play through the team. He similarly demonstrated that his team defended in a low block against Manchester City in the knock-out stages, as he saw that as the most effective way to defeat them, but that normally his side are more offensive. He elaborated that during the current season he used a 4–3–1–2 without a genuine forward, in order to compensate for the departure of striker Benzema. Jude Bellingham served as a goalscoring attacking midfielder, with additional creative and defensive responsibilities, acting almost as a false-9 or second striker at times, and playing behind Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo – normally wingers – upfront in free roles. Bellingham flourished in this position, with Ancelotti earning praise from Ben Grounds of ''
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
'' for fielding him in this new role. While Vinícius and Rodrygo were still given the freedom to move out wide in attack, Ancelotti also focused on developing their ability to play more effectively in central areas. He also used a 4–4–2 formation at times throughout the season. Despite injuries to three of his team's key players – Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Éder Militão – Real Madrid won another Liga–Champions League double that season, with Ancelotti noting that "attitude and commitment" were "the key to overcoming all the problems" the club had faced. Nicknamed ''Don Carlo'' by the Spanish media, and ''Re Carlo'' in the Italian press ("King Charles" in Italian), Ancelotti is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful managers of all time, and has drawn praise in the press for his longevity as well as his record–breaking achievements. Despite becoming the first manager to win the league title in the top five European football leagues, Ancelotti's domestic record, and his lack of numerous league titles in comparison to his record-breaking success in European club competitions, has occasionally been criticised in the media. In 2015, Miguel Delaney of ''ESPN'' concluded that Ancelotti's more relaxed management style is more suited to winning cup competitions that are "far more open to blind luck and all the one-off nuances," in contrast to autocratic managers like Pep Guardiola, Sir Alex Ferguson, and José Mourinho, who have amassed better domestic records and more league championships. Ancelotti himself has also referenced this discrepancy in the title of his autobiography, which translates to "I prefer Cups". Ancelotti's 2024–25 season was notably marked by four consecutive defeats to
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
under Hansi Flick, across La Liga, the 2024 Supercopa de España final, the Copa del Rey final, and a late-season league encounter. The matches exposed structural weaknesses in Ancelotti's typically balanced 4–3–3 system, particularly when facing high-intensity pressing and rapid wide transitions. Flick's Barcelona consistently targeted the space behind Madrid's advancing full-backs, using wide overloads and fast switches of play to isolate Real's defenders. Ancelotti's midfield trio often struggled to cope with the verticality of Barcelona's attacking patterns, particularly when pressed into transitional moments. Despite Kylian Mbappé's individual brilliance in the final La Liga match—scoring a hat-trick—Madrid's defensive line was repeatedly caught high and exposed by diagonal runs from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. The sequence of defeats sparked criticism of Ancelotti's reluctance to adapt tactically, with analysts noting his adherence to familiar patterns even as Barcelona's pressing traps and wide combinations consistently unbalanced his team. The four defeats were viewed as a rare blemish on Ancelotti's otherwise pragmatic and adaptive managerial reputation.


Personal life

Ancelotti has two children: a daughter, and a son, Davide, who was his assistant coach at Everton and Real Madrid. Davide previously also played in the Milan youth team and joined Borgomanero in June 2008. In 2008, Ancelotti confirmed in an interview that he had broken up with his wife of 25 years, Luisa Gibellini. He subsequently dated Romanian Marina Crețu. In 2011, it was announced he was dating Canadian businesswoman Mariann Barrena McClay. Ancelotti and Barrena McClay married in Vancouver in July 2014. Identifies as
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. In May 2009, Ancelotti's autobiography, ''Preferisco la Coppa'' ("''I Prefer the Cup''", with a word-play by Ancelotti on the Italian word "''coppa''" that stands both for "cup" and a type of cured cold pork meat cut, which is produced in Ancelotti's native region of
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
), was published, with all proceeds from sales of the book going to the Fondazione Stefano Borgonovo for the funding of research on
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...
. In his last season with Chelsea, Ancelotti traveled back to Italy on a regular basis to visit his 87-year-old father who was in poor health with diabetes and other issues. On the issue, he said: "I don't have a problem managing the team for this reason. It's difficult, emotionally, when it's your father... but this is life. I have to do my best to stay close to him, but this is the life." His father died on 29 September 2010, aged 87. On 31 January 2019, Ancelotti became the grandfather of twins, born to his son Davide's wife Ana Galocha. He is a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
. In February 2021, Ancelotti's home in Crosby was burgled and a safe stolen by two male offenders wearing black clothing and balaclavas. The safe was later found dumped in a car park in nearby Thornton. It had been forced open and stripped of its contents. Ancelotti is among the 13 sports personalities mentioned in the Pandora Papers published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). On 11 October 2023, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Parma, following his research in "Sciences and Techniques of Preventive and Adapted Motor Activities". On 2 April 2025, Ancelotti stood trial for alleged tax evasion where he testified in a Spanish court on Wednesday, insisting he believed his tax affairs were in order amid allegations that he failed to pay €1 million ($1.08 million) in taxes on image rights revenue.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Italy score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ancelotti goal''


Managerial statistics


Honours


Player

Roma *
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
: 1982–83 * Coppa Italia: 1979–80, 1980–81, 1983–84, 1985–86 AC Milan *Serie A: 1987–88, 1991–92 * Supercoppa Italiana: 1988 * European Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90 * European Super Cup: 1990 * Intercontinental Cup: 1989 Italy *
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
third place: 1990 Individual * Serie A Team of The Year: 1983, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991


Manager

Juventus *
UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
:
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
AC Milan *Serie A: 2003–04 *Coppa Italia: 2002–03 * Supercoppa Italiana:
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
*
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
: 2002–03, 2006–07; *
UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
: 2003, 2007 *
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
: 2007 Chelsea *
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
: 2009–10 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
: 2009–10 *
FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is Football in England, English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA ...
:
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
Paris Saint-Germain *
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
: 2012–13 Real Madrid *
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
: 2021–22, 2023–24 *
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
: 2013–14, 2022–23 * Supercopa de España: 2021–22, 2023–24 *UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2021–22, 2023–24 *UEFA Super Cup:
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, 2022, 2024 *FIFA Club World Cup:
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, 2022 * FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2024 Bayern Munich *
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
: 2016–17 * DFL-Supercup: 2016, 2017 Individual * The Best FIFA Football Coach: 2024 * Men's Johan Cruyff Trophy: 2024 * World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 2003 * Serie A Coach of the Year: 2001, 2004 * Panchina d'Oro: 2002–03, 2003–04 * Ligue 1 Coach of the Year: 2012–13 (joint) * IFFHS World's Best Club Coach: 2007, 2014, 2022, 2024 * UEFA Men's Coach of the Year: 2021–22 * Globe Soccer Awards Best Coach of the Year: 2014, 2022 * Onze d'Or Coach of the Year: 2021–22 *
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
: November 2009, August 2010, March 2011, April 2011, September 2020 * La Liga Manager of the Month: October 2014, April 2015, August 2023, April 2024 *Globe Soccer Awards Best Media Attraction in Football: 2014 * Enzo Bearzot Award: 2014 * FIFA World Coach of the Year runner-up: 2014 * Miguel Muñoz Trophy: 2021–22, 2014–15 (shared) * AS Roma Hall of Fame: 2014 * Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2015 *AC Milan Hall of Fame


Orders

*5th Class / Knight: '' Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana'': 1991 *4th Class / Ufficiale: '' Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia'': 2014


See also

*
List of English football championship-winning managers A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
* List of FA Cup winning managers *
List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winning managers The European Cup was an association football competition contested from 1956 to 1992. Spanish manager José Villalonga Llorente, José Villalonga led Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid to success in the inaugural 1956 European Cup final, final in 1956 a ...


References


Bibliography

*Alessandro Alciato, Carlo Ancelotti, ''Preferisco la coppa. Vita, partite e miracoli di un normale fuoriclasse'', Milan, Rizzoli, 2009, (I Prefer the Cup. The Life, Games, and Miracles of an Ordinary Genius).


External links

*
Italian Football Federation profile
*
Profile at magliarossonera.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancelotti, Carlo 1959 births Living people Sportspeople from the Province of Reggio Emilia Footballers from Emilia-Romagna Italian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Parma Calcio 1913 players AS Roma players AC Milan players Serie C players Serie A players Italy men's international footballers 1986 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1988 players 1990 FIFA World Cup players Italian football managers Italian Roman Catholics AC Reggiana 1919 managers Parma Calcio 1913 managers Juventus FC managers AC Milan managers Chelsea F.C. managers Paris Saint-Germain FC managers Real Madrid CF managers FC Bayern Munich managers SSC Napoli managers Everton F.C. managers Brazil national football team managers Serie B managers Serie A managers Premier League managers Ligue 1 managers La Liga managers Bundesliga managers UEFA Champions League–winning players UEFA Champions League–winning managers Italian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in England Expatriate football managers in France Expatriate football managers in Germany Expatriate football managers in Spain Italian expatriate sportspeople in England Italian expatriate sportspeople in France Italian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Italian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate football managers in Brazil Italian expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Italian victims of crime Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic People named in the Pandora Papers 20th-century Italian sportsmen Italian Roman Catholics