Here’s one way to start an argument among Real Madrid fans: ask them who is the club’s greatest ever coach.
Is it Miguel Munoz, the former player who managed Madrid longer than anyone, winning 14 trophies in 15 years? How about Jose Mourinho, who restored their pride and went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona? Is it Vicente del Bosque, the club man who coached Madrid three times, winning the Champions League twice? Or Zinedine Zidane, who won a record-breaking three Champions Leagues in a row between 2016 and 2018?
Here’s the case for Carlo Ancelotti. Real Madrid’s current coach has won 10 trophies in four seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu. Four of them came in his first spell, from 2013 to 2015, and six of them since returning in 2021. This month brought the latest silverware, the 2023 Copa del Rey. Another trophy will be in touching distance if Madrid can overcome Manchester City in Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg.
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Mathematically, it’s straightforward. Ancelotti has taken charge of 230 Real Madrid games. That’s an average of a trophy every 23 matches. At a club that values winning above all else — forget a playing style or philosophy, Madrid’s identity is built on its stacked trophy cabinet — surely that puts him top of the list?
By that metric, Ancelotti is the most successful coach that Madrid have ever had. So why, with a contract that runs until June 2024, has he faced so many questions on whether he expects to be in charge next season? How tempted is he by overt interest from the Brazil national team? And will the outcome in this season’s Champions League be decisive?
