JAKARTA, BERITAPOLITIK.ONLINE — Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most respected figures in the world of football, both as a player and coach. Born in Reggiolo, Italy, on June 10, 1959, Ancelotti pursued his career from the bottom to becoming a coach with a flashy record: the only coach who successfully won five top European leagues and the record holder of the most victories in the UEFA Champions League final.
Early career as a player
Ancelotti began his football career at the Parma club in 1976. Playing as a midfielder, he showed great potential, which then took him to the capital club, AS Roma, in 1979.
There, he was raised by the legendary coach Nils Liedholm and Sven-Göran Eriksson. Together with Rome, he won one Serie A title in the 1982/1983 season and four Coppa Italia trophies (1980, 1981, 1984, and 1986). Unfortunately, muscle injuries made him absent in the 1984 European Cup final against Liverpool.
In 1987, Ancelotti moved to AC Milan and became part of Arrigo Sacchi’s legendary squad. Playing with star players like Paolo Maldini, Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten, and Ruud Gullit, he helped Milan win two Serie A titles, two European Cups, two European Super Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups. In total, Ancelotti collected 12 trophies throughout his career before retiring in 1992.
The first step as a coach
Three years after retirement, Ancelotti began his coaching career with AC Reggiana in 1995. He immediately brought the club promoted to Serie A. The following season, he handled Parma and brought the team to second place in Serie A 1996/1997. In 1999, he was recruited by Juventus, but failed to win a big title except the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Back to Milan as a coach
In 2001, Ancelotti returned to AC Milan, this time as a coach. This is where his reputation as an accomplished tactic interpreter began to form. Together with players like Rui Costa, Maldini, and Andriy Shevchenko, he presented a Serie A title, one Coppa Italia, one Italian Super Cup, two Champions League titles, two European Super Cups, and one Club World Cup.
The most iconic moment is the victory over Juventus in the 2003 Champions League final and “revenge” over Liverpool in the 2007 final after a dramatic defeat in 2005.
Adventures outside of Italy
After eight successful seasons in Milan, Ancelotti migrated to England to handle Chelsea. He immediately carved history by carrying The Blues to reach the domestic treble (Community Shield, Premier League, and FA Cup) in the 2009/2010 season.
His career continued in France, becoming Paris Saint-Germain’s coach in December 2011. Despite failing in the first season, Ancelotti successfully presented the Ligue 1 season 2012/2013-PSG’s first title after almost two decades.
The golden era at Real Madrid
Ancelotti was then appointed as Real Madrid coach in 2013. In his first season, he presented the Copa del Rey title and the 10th Champions League title (La décima), which had long been awaited. He also won the UEFA Super Cup and Inter-Club World Cup before being kicked out in 2015 due to failure in the second season.
After a one-year pause, he trained Bayern Munich in 2016 and won the Bundesliga and two German Super Cups. However, inconsistent performance led to his being fired in 2017.
The Italian coach then trained Napoli (2018-2019) and Everton (2019-2021) with results that were not so brilliant.
Back to the Bernabeu and print history
In 2021, Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid for the second period. He brought Los Blancos to win La Liga 2021/2022-the only domestic title he had not won before with Madrid-and again won the Champions League by beating Liverpool in the final.
Season 2023/2024, Ancelotti increasingly confirmed his status as one of the greatest coaches. He added his trophy collection with Madrid by winning La Liga, the fifth Champions League in his career, and the Spanish Super Cup. In total, he has won 23 trophies as a coach to date.
However, in this 2024/2025 season, he was considered to have nil creativity and often lost points in the domestic league standings. He also had to be willing to leave the Champions League, after Real Madrid were defeated in the hands of Arsenal with an aggregate of 5-1.
Currently, Ancelotti is rumored to be leaving El Real at the end of the season, and will sit in the Brazilian national team coaching chair.
Philosophy and coaching force
Carlo Ancelotti is known as a flexible and intelligent coach at reading the game. He often uses the 4-3-3 formation to maintain line balance, but does not hesitate to switch to 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 as needed. In defense, his team can do high pressing or play in low blocks.
Its excellence lies in his ability to build a good relationship with players and adjust tactics to the character of the squad they have.
As a coach with five European top league titles and four Champions League titles, Ancelotti has written his name in history as a true legend of world football.
