There is ‘no coach more successful’ than Carlo Ancelotti after he guided Real Madrid to another Champions League triumph.
That is the view of legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi, who sang the praises of his compatriot as he picked up a record fifth winners’ medal in club football’s greatest competition.
Real Madrid overcame serious pressure from German side Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday to win 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr.
The victory marks Los Blancos‘ record 15th all-time triumph, leaving them at least eight clear of any other club, while it’s their sixth in the last 11 years alone.
Ancelotti has been responsible for three of those titles — while he won another two with AC Milan between 2003 and 2007 — completing the double this season after Real Madrid won La Liga with just one defeat in 38 games.
-Brócoli, salmón y pasta para cenar.
-¿Y de postre?
-De postre… ¡UNA COPITAAAAAAAAAAAA! pic.twitter.com/yBtTeExwhb— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 1, 2024
Sacchi knows exactly what it takes to reach the pinnacle of football management, with his AC Milan side of 1987-1991 regarded by many as the greatest of all time. Sacchi won two European Cups with that Rossoneri outfit and the 78-year-old is credited with influencing the tactical course of Italian football.
Even he is somewhat lost for words at the achievements of Ancelotti, who was part of Sacchi’s team during his playing days.
“I don’t know what to say about Ancelotti anymore,” Sacchi wrote in La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia) following Saturday’s final. “He amazes me every time. He shows an enviable calmness even though I know that, inside, he quivers, that he would like to go on the pitch and, before matches, he gets nervous.
“He always knows how to fix things, how to put a player on the field. And he is humble in listening to the advice of his collaborators, primarily his son Davide, who is becoming more and more important to him.
“He knew very well that Borussia Dortmund were dangerous because they had considerable physical strength and, especially at the start, they would push on the accelerator. Ancelotti had the skill to explain this to his boys and to convince them to be humble: let’s wait for the right moment and then strike.
“So it was, and after Carvajal’s goal there was no more game. I repeat, full credit to Real Madrid also for what they showed during the event. Carletto put the double in the trophy cabinet, La Liga and Champions League. There is no coach more successful than Ancelotti.”
‘Carletto always the protagonist’
Sacchi’s praise for his former midfield lynchpin didn’t end there, claiming there is ‘nobody like’ Ancelotti and crediting the 64-year-old as the key component behind this glittering period of success for Real Madrid.
“Real Madrid still on the top of Europe. And with full merit, despite suffering in the first half. And my Carletto always the protagonist, this is his fifth Champions League as coach, two with Milan and three with Los Blancos. There’s nobody like him,” Sacchi continued.
“The reason is simple: Ancelotti is phenomenal, he has experience, he knows everything about football, even the smallest secrets and, above all, he is a person who knows how to make himself loved by the players, the managers, the fans.
“There is so much of his in this success, because the Real Madrid of today are a team that know how to fight, that don’t give up, that face the game with grit and determination, and respect the opponent.
“Carletto has transmitted these values to an environment that, at times, has sinned of presumption, believing themselves better than others because of the glory conquered in the past.
“Now these boys, the youngest and the oldest, from Vinicius to Kroos, fight on every ball with a spirit that is to be applauded.”