The manager of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti described himself as a man of record after leading the Spanish club to beat Liverpool in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, May 28, 2022.
The 62-year-old Italian tactician who returned to Real Madrid ahead of the 2021-2022 season after over six years of being away from the club, led the team to win the Spanish La Liga this season.
In the same season, he led Real Madrid to beat European heavyweights like Paris Saint Germain in the round of 16, Chelsea in the quarter-final, and Manchester City in the semi-final to win the season’s Champions League campaign.
The fact that Carlo Ancelotti led Real Madrid to the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League final, means that the Italian coach is the first football manager to lead clubs to the final of the competition five different times.
Note that Ancelotti led AC Milan to the Champions League final on three different occasions – 2002-2023, 2004-2005, and 2006-2007 seasons.
After coaching Chelsea between 2009 and 2011 without European success and coaching Paris Saint Germain without European success, Carlo Ancelotti joined Real Madrid in 2013 which marks his first spell at the Spanish side. In the 2013-2014 season, he led the club to a Champions League final. He left the club in 2015.
In 2021, Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid and led the Spanish club to another UEFA Champions League final making it a record five Champions League finals.
Also, Ancelotti is the only coach in the history of the competition to win the Champions League title four times. He achieved this feat with two clubs, AC Milan and Real Madrid, and in five attempts.
The veteran Italian tactician won his first Champions League title as a football manager at AC Milan in the 2002-2003 season. The second came in the 2006-2007 season.
In the 2013-2014 season, Ancelotti won his third Champions League title as a coach. The record fourth title landed in the 2021-2022 season. The only season Carlo Ancelotti coached a team to a Champions League final without winning was in the 2004-2005 season at AC Milan.
Ancelotti won the 2022 edition of the tournament thanks to Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois who made nine saves from the 24 shots Liverpool players fired at him.
After the triumph which was Real Madrid’s record 14th Champions League title, Ancelotti said the Spanish team deserved to win the title despite admitting that his team suffered at the hands of the Premier League club.
“I can’t believe it. We’ve had a fantastic season. We suffered a lot in the first half but in the end, we deserved to win this competition,” Ancelotti told BT Sport on Saturday night.
“I am the record man. I had the luck to come here last year and found as usual a fantastic club with a really good squad with a lot of quality and mental character. The season was top.”
While Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid goalkeeper who was voted the man of the match, said: ”I think I said yesterday in the press conference that when Madrid goes to finals, we win them. ‘I’m on the good side of history.
”I saw a lot of tweets coming my way today saying that I will be humbled, but I think it was the other way around.
”Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard work – to put respect on my name because I don’t think I have a lot of respect in England.”
✨ MVP del partido…
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 28, 2022
🤗 ¡Cuéntame algo que no sepa!@thibautcourtois | #CHAMP14NS pic.twitter.com/G1e9WpgBBj
The Belgian goalkeeper who kept five clean sheets in the Champions League campaign this season added: ”I had lots of criticism even after a great season saying I wasn’t good enough or whatever. I’m just really happy and proud. When I needed to be there for the team, I was there.”
🏆
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 28, 2022
🙌@lukamodric10 | #CHAMP14NS pic.twitter.com/8Fcr2I6oIE
