Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has apologised upon his return to Bayern Munich for not remembering his German.
“Ich habe vergessen Deutsch [I have forgotten German],” the Italian coach said on Monday in his only words in that language, albeit with the word order mixed up, before the teams meet on Tuesday for the first leg of their Champions League semifinal.
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Ancelotti coached Bayern for just over a year during 2016-17 and won the Bundesliga, but the league title alone is not always enough to sate ambitions at the Bavarian powerhouse.
Bayern had won the previous four Bundesligas. After Ancelotti made it five in a row, Bayern won the next six.
Ancelotti was forced out after a shaky start to the 2017-18 season. Losing to Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 was the final straw for then club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t as successful back then as he is now at Real,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said on Monday.
