ANCELOTTI AWESOME FOURSOME
CARLO ANCELOTTI is out on his own as the Champions League’s most successful manager.
The Real Madrid boss collected his fourth European Cup winners’ medal last night.
The Italian is no longer equal with greats Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane.
Ancelotti, at 62, is now surely one of the all-time great managers. If he wasn’t before this already.
He is the only manager to win league titles in all five of Europe’s major leagues – England, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
The latter came this season when he was at the helm to steer Real to their 35th La Liga crown.
This was his second European Cup with Los Blancos. His first came in his previous stint back in 2014. That was the Spanish giants’ 10th – La Decima – while this was their 14th after Zidane won three.
What a feat by the veteran Italian, who many thought may be winding down his career when he joined Everton in December 2019. But two-and-a-half years on he is back at the pinnacle of European football.
Everton fans dubbed him Carlo Magnifico when he was at Goodison Park. They weren’t too impressed when he upped sticks and left last summer as soon as his old club came calling.
Any ill feelings may be gone now, though. He stopped the Toffees’ bitter rivals from winning their seventh European Cup.
This was his fifth final in this competition. He’s only lost one. That was to Liverpool back in 2005 in ■ in from CHRIS McKENNA Paris
the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ as AC Milan boss.
He got his revenge two years later to win his second for the Italian side.
Now he’s inflicted yet more pain on the Reds.
Thibaut Courtois deserves a special thanks from his manager, he made a series of stunning saves either side of Vinicius Junior’s winning goal.
While Ancelotti’s team picked itself, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp had big calls to make. Ibrahima Konate was preferred over Joel Matip, despite it being the latter’s best season so far.
The Frenchman’s pace was the deciding factor to deal with the frighteningly fast Vinicius. Konate and full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold had contained the Brazilian until his goal.
Alexander-Arnold was dragged in too far, it was the only slip of the night.
Ancelotti, dressed in a suave suit, was a picture of calm on the touchline throughout despite the Reds flowing forward.
Tracksuit-clad Klopp his usual animated self.
He had to make big decisions from the bench. Diogo Jota was brought on first for Luis Diaz, then the double change of Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita for Thiago and Jordan Henderson.
But they couldn’t convert their chances and Real’s smash and grab game plan paid off.
A managerial masterclass from Ancelotti? Not quite. But the record books won’t show that. They’ll just show four European Cups next to his name. Carlo Magnifico indeed.