- Born:
- June 10, 1959, Reggiolo, Italy (age 67)
Carlo Ancelotti
What makes Carlo Ancelotti a notable football manager?
What were Carlo Ancelotti’s achievements as a player?
Which clubs has Carlo Ancelotti managed?
What are some of Carlo Ancelotti’s published works?
Carlo Ancelotti (born June 10, 1959, Reggiolo, Italy) is a professional men’s football (soccer) manager and former player. He is often considered one of the greatest football managers of all time, having won more than 30 titles with clubs such as Real Madrid and AC Milan. He is the only football manager in history to have won five UEFA Champions League titles and to capture titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues—Italy’s Serie A, France’s Ligue 1, England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Germany’s Bundesliga. As a player, Ancelotti had a distinguished career, primarily with AC Milan, where he was part of a side that won two UEFA Champions League titles, and represented the Italian national football team in two FIFA World Cups. In May 2025, Ancelotti was appointed the manager of the Brazilian men’s national football team.
Playing career
Club career
Ancelotti began his football career as a teenager with his hometown club, Reggiolo, before moving to the under-19 team at Parma in 1975. He made his senior debut for Parma in Serie C, the third tier of the Italian football league system, during the 1976–77 season. Over the next few years, he developed into a key midfielder for Parma. In 1979 his two goals in a win against Triestina helped the team gain promotion to Serie B for the next season.
Ancelotti joined AS Roma in the 1979–80 season of Serie A, Italy’s top football league. He built a reputation as a strong midfielder and spent eight seasons at Roma, winning the Serie A title (the Scudetto) in the 1982–83 season and the Coppa Italia four times.
In 1987 Ancelotti joined AC Milan. The next five years were his most successful as a player, as AC Milan won the Serie A title twice, in the 1987–88 and 1991–92 seasons, and the Supercoppa Italiana in the 1988–89 season. He was also part of an AC Milan squad widely regarded as one of the greatest club teams of all time. The squad included players such as Franco Baresi, Marco van Basten, Paolo Maldini, and Ruud Gullit. The team won the UEFA Champions League twice (1988–89 and 1989–90), the European Super Cup (now UEFA Super Cup) in 1989 and 1990, and the Intercontinental Cup in 1989 and 1990. He suffered from knee injuries throughout his career, which contributed to his retirement at age 33 at the end of the 1991–92 season.
International career
Ancelotti made his debut for the Italian national team in a friendly against the Netherlands in 1981, scoring Italy’s only goal in a 1–1 draw; it would be his only goal for Italy. Serious knee injuries forced him to sit out Italy’s successful 1982 FIFA World Cup campaign, the country’s first title since 1938. He was included in the 1986 FIFA World Cup squad but spent the tournament on the bench after poor fitness test performances in the high elevation of Mexico City.
Ancelotti saw playing time in the 1988 European Championship, where Italy lost to the Soviet Union national team in the semifinals. He also played three games in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, including in the third-place playoff, where his team beat England 2–1. Injuries continued to plague his career. Ancelotti’s last international game was against Norway in November 1991, following which he retired. He made a total of 26 appearances for his country. His international career was constantly disrupted by frequent injuries, which limited his impact despite his success at the club level.
Managerial career
Ancelotti began his managerial career as an assistant manager to the Italian men’s national team under Arrigo Sacchi, serving from 1992 to 1995, a period that included reaching the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where Italy lost on penalties to Brazil. His managerial career has largely been defined by success across multiple leagues in European club competition.
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In 1995 Ancelotti took over as manager of the Serie B club Reggiana, helping it earn a promotion to Serie A at the end of the season. He then managed Parma for two seasons in 1996–97 and 1997–98, followed by Juventus FC, beginning in the 1999–2000 season and leaving in the 2001–02 season. Although Juventus remained one of the top teams in Serie A under his tenure, the club did not win any major trophies.
Following his spell at Juventus, Ancelotti was named manager of AC Milan in 2001, as the club sought to reestablish itself as one of Europe’s top teams. He spent eight seasons with the club, managing a total of 420 games, his longest stint leading a single club and the second-longest managerial stint at AC Milan, after Nereo Rocco’s nine seasons as manager with the club. Ancelotti’s time at AC Milan is considered one of the defining successes of his managerial career. In the 2002–03 season he led the club to third place in Serie A as well as to a UEFA Champions League title, defeating Juventus on penalties in the final. Victories in Serie A and the UEFA Super Cup followed in 2004.
In 2005 his team failed to add a second Champions League title after squandering a 3–0 lead versus Liverpool FC to lose on penalties in one of the most dramatic finals in the competition’s history. Ancelotti secured his second UEFA Champions League title in 2007, when AC Milan beat Liverpool 2–1. In 2007, with Ancelotti at the helm, AC Milan cruised to its first FIFA Club World Cup title after defeating Boca Juniors of Argentina 4–2. That year Ancelotti was named the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) World’s Best Club Coach and helped AC Milan secure another UEFA Super Cup in 2007.
“Everyone you work with can teach you something, whether it is tactically, technically, or just something personal. But Carlo [Ancelotti] was the best one for me because he brought the very best out of me. The most impressive characteristic that he has got, in my opinion, is his ability to manage people.”
—Brazilian football star Kaká, managed by Ancelotti at AC Milan, speaking to Sky Sports in 2020
Ancelotti next took over the reins at the English club Chelsea FC in 2009 and led them to three titles in the 2009–10 season: the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the FA Community Shield. In late 2011 he joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as manager and helped it win the Ligue 1 title in the 2012–13 season. In July 2013 Ancelotti took charge as manager of Real Madrid, replacing José Mourinho. In his first season at the club, he led it to the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League title, his third as a manager. The win was widely celebrated at the club as La Décima (“The Tenth”), as Real Madrid became the first club to win 10 UEFA Champions League trophies. Real Madrid also won the Copa del Rey in 2014, followed by the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup later that year. Ancelotti was named IFFHS World’s Best Club Coach for the second time in 2014. He left Real Madrid in 2015.
“He’s an unbelievable person. I just wish every player could have an opportunity to work with him because he’s a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach, and I miss him a lot because we won many trophies together. And I wish to work with him one day again.”
—Cristiano Ronaldo, then with Real Madrid, in a 2015 ESPN interview
After a brief hiatus, Ancelotti was appointed manager of the German club Bayern Munich in 2016, replacing Pep Guardiola. He led the team to the Bundesliga title in 2017 and the German Super Cup in 2016 and 2017. Ancelotti returned to Italy as the manager of Napoli for the 2018–19 season but did not win a major trophy that season. He then managed the English club Everton from 2019 to 2021, a period that saw mid-table finishes without any silverware.
Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid ahead of the 2021–22 season, beginning a highly successful second spell. In 2022, Real Madrid won the La Liga, its first under Ancelotti, making him the first manager to win league titles in each of Europe’s top five national leagues. That year Real Madrid also won the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League, Ancelotti’s fourth. He was named IFFHS World’s Best Club Coach for the third time in his career that year, as well as UEFA Manager of the Year.
In the 2022–23 season Real Madrid won the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey. The following season it added another La Liga and Spanish Super Cup title. Real Madrid’s 2024 Champions League win made Ancelotti the first manager to win the tournament five times. He was also named IFFHS World’s Best Club Coach a fourth time in 2024.
In May 2025 Ancelotti was appointed coach of the Brazilian men’s national team, becoming the world’s highest-paid national coach after he signed on to help Brazil prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Books and media
Ancelotti’s autobiography Carlo Ancelotti: The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius (2009; with Alessandro Alciato) delves into both his career and his insights on the game. He also wrote Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds, and Matches (2016; with Chris Brady and Mike Forde) and The Dream: Breaking Champions League Records (2025; with Brady).
Ancelotti has featured in numerous football documentaries. He also made an uncredited appearance in the film Star Trek: Beyond (2016).