Ancelotti fulfills his promise and becomes a record holder of titles in the Champions League

With difficulty, considerable assistance from the opposing goalkeeper and three goals from Benzema in 17 minutes, Real Madrid escaped elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League. It was March, and the performances did not inspire confidence in the possibility of actually fighting for the title.

The following week, at the same Santiago Bernabéu where it was saved by its French top scorer, the white team won 4-0 against rivals Barcelona. Then, president Florentino Pérez called coach Carlo Ancelotti for a conversation in his office.

“Don’t worry, president. We’re going to win LaLiga and the Champions League,” said the 62-year-old, including in his promise to win the La Liga title.

In LaLiga, as Spain’s national tournament is called, the triumph was easy, with four games to spare and 13 points ahead of second-placed Barcelona. In the Champions League, the path was quite bumpy.

Almost eliminated by PSG, Madrid was even closer to goodbye against Chelsea and Manchester City. In the decisive clash with Liverpool, they needed exceptional saves from Courtois to win 1-0, with a finish in 90 minutes.

But he won.

Fulfilled his promise, Carlo Ancelotti became the coach with the most Champions League titles in his curriculum: four. Champion with Milan in 2003 and 2007 and with Real in 2014 and 2022, he left behind Bob Paisley, three times for Liverpool in 1977, 1978 and 1981, and Zinédine Zidane, three times for Real in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

With the national title, the Italian had already achieved an important mark, becoming the first coach to triumph in the top five European leagues. He was champion of Italian (Milan, 2004), English (Chelsea, 2010), French (PSG, 2013), German (Bayern, 2017) and Spanish (Real Madrid, 2022).

In all these achievements, Ancelotti sought to lead the group in his own quiet way. The management of the cast is pointed out as one of his great qualities by those who have already been commanded by him. Kaka, his athlete at Milan, considers him the best he has worked with.

The relationship created with the players was one of the trump cards on the way to another European conquest. According to the coach, the atmosphere created at the club ended up being decisive in the overcoming campaign, with players like the Brazilian Rodrygo coming off the bench to solve games .

“We have a spectacular environment. It’s been many years in my career, and I can say that it’s difficult to create that kind of environment, because sometimes there’s an ego in the locker room, sometimes they can’t handle the pressure,” he said.

It was not the case. Real Madrid athletes endured moments when giving up seemed acceptable and showed rivals who crossed the path the weight of the white shirt.

“It’s easier to win with Real than with any other team,” said Ancelotti, who, of course, had merits that go beyond managing the group satisfactorily and having a heavy shirt.

Former midfielder (two-time European champion for Milan), the Italian knew how to make tactical adjustments and had certain bets on the unlikely turns of the campaign. Another sure bet was to give space to Vinicius Junior, who played much less under Zidane’s command and flourished this year.

“I gave him the confidence he needed,” declared the coach, who won the young Brazilian’s 22 goals in exchange for the season. With the last of them, he was able to fulfill the promise he had made to Florentino Pérez.