In football, there are only a few managers that seem to be universally loved. Generally that comes about because of their ability to win football matches, with Carlo Ancelotti being a prime example. It would be unfair to refer to him as a managerial journeyman, seeing as though that word has negative connotations when discussing those in football, but it is certainly the case that he has moved around between clubs with abandon. Not that the clubs he’s managed mind all that much, with the Italian having won trophies almost everywhere he’s been. That includes at Chelsea, where Ancelotti won the Premier League and FA Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Honours as Chelsea Manager
| Season | League Titles | Domestic Cups | European/International Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009/10 | Premier League | FA Cup, Community Shield | – |
Ancelotti the Midfield Maestro
Carlo Ancelotti was born in the Italian town of Reggiolo on the 10th of June 1959. He began his career as a professional footballer with Serie C Parma, playing under Cesare Maldini when he was just 18. He had an eye for goal, seeing him deployed as an attacking midfielder or a second striker. He scored twice in the club’s Serie C1 girone A play-off game against Triestina, seeing Parma promoted to Serie B. In the middle of 1979, having been wanted by Inter Milan, Ancelotti transferred to Roma and became one of the club’s most important players. During his eight seasons there he won four Coppa Italias and the Italian league title.
In 1987, Ancelotti was once again a key part of a team’s success, but this time with AC Milan. He won two Serie A titles and consecutive European Cups, the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup as well as a Supercoppa Italiana for AC Milan. During this time he also played for his national side, scoring a goal in the 1980 World Champions’ Gold Cup. A knee injury saw him miss out on the 1982 World Cup, but he was part of the squad four years later; albeit not making any appearances. He helped Italy to reach the semi-finals of the European Championship in 1988 and helped Italy defeat England to finish third in the 1990 World Cup.
Gaining Experience as a Manager
When studying to become a coach at Coverciano, Ancelotti penned a research article that had the English title of ‘The Future of Football: More Dynamism’. In many ways, that is a neat summary of the Italian’s approach to the game, becoming an assistant coach to Arrigo Sacchi with the Italian national team before becoming a manager in his own right with the Serie B team Reggiana in 1995. Having seen them gain promotion to Serie A, Ancelotti moved to Parma the following season. They finished second in his first season, but drifted to sixth in his second and was relieved of his duties in the summer of 1998.
That allowed him to join Juventus the following February, losing the league title by a single point. When he went trophyless again the following season he was sacked by Juventus. In November 2001, AC Milan brought Ancelotti in as their manager and the Italian decided to adopt a more creative way of playing after being criticised by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. They defeated Juventus in the Champions League final in 2003, also winning the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Super Cup that year. In 2004, AC Milan won the title with a record of 82 points from 34 games, but were unable to add any other trophies during the campaign.
Perhaps one of the most famous experiences Ancelotti suffered as AC Milan manager came in the Champions League final in 2005. Playing against Liverpool at the Attaturk Stadium in Istanbul, the Italian club raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time. Three goals in six minutes in the second-half saw the Merseyside club draw level before going on to win the penalty shoot-out in what became known as the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’. He gained his revenge two years later, however, when an arguably better performance from Liverpool saw them lose 2-1. It was Ancelotti’s second European Cup with AC Milan and fourth overall.
Ancelotti the Chelsea Manager
During his final season at AC Milan, the club finished third, being knocked out of the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia. Ancelotti resigned on the 31st of May, having become the club’s second-longest serving manager. He took over from interim manager Guus Hiddink at Chelsea on the 1st of June, winning his first trophy two months later when the Blues defeated Manchester United in the Community Shield. Although not considered to be a major trophy, it was a sign of what was to come for him at Stamford Bridge. His first Premier League game came at Stamford Bridge, with the London club defeating Hull City 2-1.
Ancelotti’s first defeat at Chelsea came when Wigan Athletic won 3-1 at the DW Stadium in September. In December, Blackburn Rovers knocked Chelsea out of the League Cup when a 3-3 draw at Ewood Park resulted in a penalty shootout, which the Blues lost. In the Champions League, the club made it through to the Round of 16 and were drawn to face José Mourinho’s Inter Milan, with the two managers having had a tense relationship when the managers of AC Milan and Inter Milan respectively the previous season. It was Mourinho who emerged on top, winning 2-1 at the San Siro and 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to knock Chelsea out of the competition.
On the domestic front, however, it was an entirely different story. On the ninth of May 2010 it was confirmed that Chelsea had won the Premier League title, finishing a solitary point ahead of Manchester United. The team had scored 103 goals, which was the first time that a Premier League team had scored more than 100 times. He was the first Italian to win the English top-flight title, cementing his place in the pantheon of greats thanks to a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup. That meant that Chelsea had won the Double, equalling Arsenal’s record of winning three FA Cups in a four-year period.
Life after Chelsea
Ancelotti’s Chelsea lost to Manchester United in the Community Shield at the start of the 2010-2011 season, but two 6-0 wins in succession put the Blues at the top of the table. Several defeats in a row and a shock 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the start of January saw the club in fifth place. They did rally, but a 1-0 defeat to Everton in the 22nd of May saw Ancelotti dismissed, reportedly receiving a severance pay of £6 million. His win percentage at the Blues was the third-highest in Premier League history, with only Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho doing better than the Italian had managed to do.
After Chelsea, Ancelotti took on managerial roles at Paris Saint-Germain, where he won Ligue 1, Real Madrid winning the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, Bayern Munich where he won the Bundesliga and the DFL-Supercup, Napoli and Everton. He left the Merseyside club in order to return to Real Madrid, Adding the La Liga title, Champions League, Supercopa de España, Super Cup and Club World Cup in 2022, then another Supercopa de España in 2024, as well as as La Liga and Champions League progression. He is considered to be one of the best managers of all time.