Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian former footballer, the current head coach of Real Madrid and widely regarded as one of the most successful managers in the world.

Ancelotti has won the UEFA Champions League five times as a manager, doing so with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007 and then again with Real Madrid in 2014, 2022 and 2024.

He has managed teams in five Champions League finals, a world first, and is the only manager to win league titles in all of Europe's top five leagues - England (Chelsea), Italy (AC Milan), Spain (Real Madrid), Germany (Bayern Munich) and France (PSG).

He also had a successful career as player with Parma, AS Roma and AC Milan and has managed Reggiana, Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Everton and Napoli.

Ancelotti is known for flexibility in his formations, having opted to accommodate star players wherever possible despite a personal preference for a 4-4-2 formation.

Among the great players who have flourished under Ancelotti have been Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane, Andrea Pirlo, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sergio Ramos.

Carlo Ancelotti and AC Milan

Ancelotti was a successful midfielder during his playing career. After a spell at Parma from 1976 to 1979, he was snapped up by AS Roma and won Serie A in 1982/83.

Ancelotti moved on to AC Milan, where he was even more successful and won the league in 1987/88 and 1991/92. He was also part of the team which won back-to-back European Cups in 1988/89 and 1989/90. Ancelotti earned 26 caps for the Italy national team, scoring once.

After winding down his playing career at Milan, Ancelotti had spells managing Reggiana and Parma before taking the reins at Juventus in 1999.

Juve were fierce rivals of AC Milan, which Ancelotti viewed as his football family. According to his autobiography: "Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches", Ancelotti found the environment at Juve far more business-like than at his beloved Rossoneri.

After his departure from Juventus in 2001, Ancelotti became manager of AC Milan, who he guided to the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League title, beating fierce rivals Inter Milan in the semi-finals and Juventus in the final.

Ancelotti then led AC Milan to the 2003/04 Serie A title and the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League final, where they infamously threw away a 3-0 lead to lose to Liverpool on penalties.

Nevertheless, Milan eventually gained revenge in 2006/07, beating Liverpool 2-1 to claim their second Champions League title under Ancelotti.

At the end of the 2008/09 season, Ancelotti left Milan to take up a new challenge at Chelsea.

More silverware with Chelsea

Chelsea had begun to emerge as a formidable force in English - and, indeed, European - soccer in the years leading up to Ancelotti's arrival.

However, the back-to-back Premier League titles they had won under Jose Mourinho in 2004/05 and 2005/06 had been followed by a period of near misses. Furthermore, Chelsea had yet to win their first UEFA Champions League title.

Ancelotti led Chelsea to the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2009/10 as they scored a record 103 goals en route to league glory and beat Portsmouth 1-0 in the FA Cup final. However, the Blues were eliminated by Mourinho's Inter Milan in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

In 2010/11, Chelsea fell into a mid-season slump following a bright start to the season and finished second to Manchester United in the Premier League, also losing to the Red Devils in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Ancelotti was sacked at the end of the season.

 

A short stint at Paris Saint-Germain

After his departure from Chelsea, Ancelotti played a major role in turning Paris Saint-Germain into the dominant force in French football.

It was under his guidance that the likes of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived at the club (both were signed from AC Milan). Ancelotti led PSG to the Ligue 1 title in 2012/13.

 

Another Champions League with Real Madrid

Ancelotti succeeded Mourinho at Real Madrid and inherited a squad that was struggling to find a sense of unity following a difficult 2012/13 season.

Ancelotti led them to the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League title - making them the first club to win 10 European Cup trophies, in an achievement long known as 'La Decima' ('The Tenth'), as Real had been waiting for their 10th title since their previous Champions League title 12 years previously.

For much of the 2014/15 season, Real Madrid were on course to win La Liga, but they were eventually toppled by Luis Enrique's treble-winning Barcelona. This season proved to be Ancelotti's last with Los Blancos.

 

Ancelotti at Bayern Munich

Ancelotti took charge of Bayern Munich ahead of the 2016/17 season, replacing Pep Guardiola, who moved to Manchester City. The Italian steered Bayern to the 2016/17 German Bundesliga title.

A difficult start to the 2017/18 season and reported tension within the Bayern camp ultimately cost him his job despite his success the previous season.

Carlo Ancelotti and Napoli

Ancelotti succeeded Chelsea-bound Maurizio Sarri as manager of Napoli ahead of the 2018/19 season. Napoli finished a distant second to Juventus in the Serie A title race during that campaign and got the following season off to a poor start.

Tensions began to build with owner Aurelio De Laurentiis during a difficult start to 2019/20 and Ancelotti publicly stated that he did not agree with De Laurentiis' request that the players go into retreat until they had found a solution to their poor run of form.

Ancelotti was sacked in December 2019 and subsequently appointed manager of Everton later that month.

Experiencing Everton

Ancelotti took over an Everton side which had languished in mid-table for some years despite being one of the most successful clubs in English history, with nine top-flight titles won.

He was unable to lift Everton above 12th in the 2019/20 season, which ended late due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, ahead of his first full season in charge, Ancelotti oversaw a spending spree which saw them sign the likes of James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan.

Everton had previous periods of heavy spending prior to Ancelotti's arrival, but no manager after David Moyes had been able to get his players to gel as well as Ancelotti did, with the possible exception of Roberto Martinez early on in his reign. Everton finished the 2020/21 season in 10th place in the Premier League.

In June 2021, Ancelotti left Goodison Park after 18 months in charge to return to Real Madrid, for his second spell as head coach at Los Blancos. He described the move as "an unexpected opportunity" while thanking the staff and fans at Everton.

 

Back at Real Madrid

Ancelotti had failed to win La Liga in his first spell at the Bernabeu. Despite delivering European and domestic success, including the Decima , it felt like his return was completing some unfinished business.

In the 2021/22 season, Ancelotti's Real Madrid lifted the league title by a huge 13 points ahead of rivals Barcelona. Real also claimed the Supercopa de Espana. Ancelotti has now won all six available major trophies available at Real Madrid.

Crucially Ancelotti masterminded Los Blancos' 14th European Cup victory, after a dramatic journey through the Champions League knockout rounds where they complete comeback wins over PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Vinicius' goal in the 1-0 win over Liverpool in the final in Paris, brought Real their fifth Champions League in nine years.

A 2-1 win over Osasuna in the 2023 final gave Real Madrid their 20th Copa del Rey, and first since 2014, with Rodrygo scoring both goals.

In May 2024, Real Madrid claimed their 36th La Liga title strolling to the crown well ahead of nearest rivals Barcelona.

Ancelotti's ruthless Real Madrid struck twice in the second half to beat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley to seal a 15th Champions League crown in June 2024.

 

Personal life

Ancelotti's son, Davide, works as an assistant coach at Real Madrid. He also has a daughter, Katia. After splitting up with his first wife, Luisa Gibellini, he married Canadian businesswoman Mariann Barrena McClay in Vancouver in July 2014.

 

Reported net worth

Ancelotti is believed to be worth around $50million, with his Real Madrid salary around $10.5million a year.