Carlo Ancelotti confirms plan to retire after Real Madrid
By winning La Liga, Ancelotti became the first manager to win the title in each of Europe’s big five leagues
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Your support makes all the difference.Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that he intends to retire at the conclusion of his time at Real Madrid.
The Italian became the first manager to win the title in Europe’s big five leagues as the Spanish capital club sealed their LaLiga triumph with a 4-0 victory over Espanyol on Saturday.
He is one of only three managers to have won the Champions League three times.
The 62-year-old is in his second stint in charge at the Estadio Bernabeu, returning to Madrid after a spell at Everton having spent two seasons as manager there between 2013 and 2015.
And while Ancelotti does not necessarily have his own end date in mind, he has suggested he will be ready to bow out of management whenever Real Madrid’s hierachy decide the time is right to move on, explaining that he wishes to spend more time with his family.
“After Real Madrid, yes, I will probably retire,” Ancelotti told Prime Video, according to Diario AS.
“If the club wants me here for ten years, I’ll coach for ten years. But then I would like to be with my grandchildren, go on vacation with my wife. There are so many things that you put aside when you choose this profession.
“I’ve never been to Australia, I’ve not been to Rio de Janeiro. I would like to visit my sister more often. Unfortunately, I can’t do that today, so the day I retire I’ll be able to do all these things.”
In addition to this year’s title with Real Madrid, Ancelotti has also won the league while at AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
The former midfielder began his managerial career at Reggiana in 1995.
Real Madrid’s end-of-season focus will now be the Champions League, with the club needing to overturn a first leg deficit to reach the final as Manchester City travel to Spain.
Ancelotti confirmed that Nacho will replace the injured David Alaba in defence for the second leg, while a fit-again Casemiro is also set to come in to the side beaten 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium last week as the manager seeks defensive improvement.
“I don’t have any doubts. Alaba can’t play,” Ancelotti clarified ahead of the second leg.
“I don’t have doubts, it will possibly be a long game too but it’s not so important who starts as it is who finishes it. The defence system is the same. Alaba is an important player but Nacho’s played very well this season. He’s experienced and I’m sure he’ll put on a good performance tomorrow.
“[Casemiro’s return] will help us a lot, his return is instrumental in our improvement defensively. Another thing we’ll need is a collective commitment from everyone to move better, be more compact with one another. We have worked hard and long on our defence and hopefully will notice improvements tomorrow.”
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