Carlo Ancelotti Biography: From Prolific Player to Record-Breaking Manager

Nicknamed Don Carlo, Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most successful managers in football history. He is currently serving as the head coach of Real Madrid, whom he led to the La Liga and the Champions League titles in the 2023/24. It also marked his fifth European Cup title in his managerial career – the most by any head coach in the history. The Italian’s coaching stint spans nearly three decades, having managed some of the top-most clubs, including AC Milan, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, whilst enjoying considerable success with all of them.

Aged 65, Ancelotti is showing no signs of slowing down as the hunger to push boundaries and win more trophies is still present with him. Not only is he highly respected among the footballing fraternity, but the Italian’s longevity and man managerial skills make him an inspiring figure for the young and up-and-coming coaches.

Carlo Ancelotti Bio

Carlo Ancelotti’s Playing Career

While widely known as one of the greatest managers, Ancelotti also enjoyed a prolific playing career, thanks to his successful spells at AS Roma and AC Milan. Born in Reggiolo, Ancelotti had his first taste of senior-team football with Parma in Serie C in 1976. Playing as an attacking midfielder and a second striker, he helped Parma gain promotion to Serie B in the 1978/79 season.

Despite interest from Inter Milan, Ancelotti sealed a move to capital giants AS Roma in 1979, where he would spend the next eight years. During his time with the Giallorossi, the midfielder quickly became a key cog in the team and earned the captaincy while winning numerous accolades, including the Serie A title in 1982/83 and four Coppa Italia trophies.

Upon his transfer to AC Milan in 1987, Ancelotti became a part of the furniture for one of the best teams in history, led by legendary manager Ariggo Sacchi. During his five-year stint with the Rossoneri, Ancelotti won two Scudettos, two European Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, one SuperCoppa Italian and one European Super Cup. During the latter years of his career, Ancelotti evolved into a deep-playing playmaker.

At the international level, injuries hampered his progress. Ancelotti was poised to earn a call-up to Italy’s 1982  World Cup-winning squad but a knee problem saw him miss out. With 26 caps to his name, Ancelotti participated in the 1986 World Cup, 1988 European Championship and 1990 World Cup.

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Carlo Ancelotti’s managerial career

Ancelotti took the first steps towards coaching at the Italian national team, where he served as an assistant to his former boss Sacchi from 1992 to 1995. He then landed his first managerial job with his hometown side Reggiana, whom he helped gain promotion from Serie B to Serie A. After just one season (1995/96) with Reggiana, Ancelotti moved to one of his former sides, Parma. At Parma, he started to showcase Sacchi’s influence by implementing a rigorous training session and a well-drilled 4-4-2 formation. The former midfielder’s reign coincided with Parma’s heydays as he led them to a runners-up finish in Serie A 1996/97 – their highest-ever finish in the Italian top flight. 

Following a brief stint at Juventus, Ancelotti made a return to AC Milan in 2001, this time as a manager. He spent the next eight years with Rossoneri, making him their longest-serving manager ever. Like his infamous predecessors Sacchi and Fabio Capello, Ancelotti carved out a name for himself in the upper echelons of Rossoner’s history, winning a handful of accolades. The most notable were the two Champions League titles (2002-03, 2006-07) and the Serie A triumph in 2003-04. Despite being on the receiving end of Liverpool’s historic come-back in the 2004-05 Champions League finals, Ancelotti’s Milan exacted the revenge in the 2006-07 finals, beating the Premier League giant.

After leaving Milan in 2009, Ancelotti embarked on a nomadic career, enjoying spells at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli, winning trophies with most of the clubs.

The legendary Milan gaffer made his return to England after a decade when he joined Everton in 2019. Whilst the spell didn’t pan out the way he wanted, Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid for his second stint in 2021, where he would reinstate his withering legacy by inspiring the Spanish giants to become the best team in Europe.

Carlo Ancelotti’s tactics and style of play

Having managed a plethora of clubs in his career, Ancelotti’s tactics have also kept evolving to date. From being the pioneer of the Christmas tree formation during his time at AC Milan to his present 4-3-3 at Real Madrid, Ancelotti has dipped his toes in many kinds of tactics. But his core philosophy has remained intact: the players should be the masters on the pitch rather than the structures and system. It is why Ancelotti has been hailed by many as one of the best man-managers, getting the best out of players.

Another example of his versatility is how he adapted a striker-less system at Real Madrid last season to get the best version of Jude Bellingham, who exploded like few others. This season, the Italian master-minded has deployed a 4-3-3 formation to integrate Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius. His tactics include high-press, counter-attacks and rest-defence. 

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Carlo Ancelotti’s achievements and trophies

Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most decorated managers in history, winning titles with every club he was part of. Following his productive years at Milan, the Italian went on to win the league titles with Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich. Above all, he has reinvigorated himself over the last few years, winning a total of 10 titles with Real Madrid in the last three seasons. He recently won the Johan Cruyff Trophy for the year 2024, awarded to the best coach in a calendar year at the Ballon d’Or Gala. 

Carlo Ancelotti’s Family

Carlo Ancelotti was born on 10 June 1959 in Reggiolo, Italy. His father Giuseppe Ancelotti passed away at the age of 87 in October 2010.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Wife and Children

Carlo Ancelotti had been married to Luisa Gibbelini for 25 years before splitting up in 2008. After a brief relationship with Romanian Marina Crețu, the Italian dated Canadian businesswoman Mariann Barrena McClay in 2011 before marrying her in 2014. He has a son named Davide, born to Carlo’s first wife Luisa. Formerly a footballer, Davide currently works as an assistant coach to his father at Real. Ancelotti also has a daughter named Katia, whose mother is Luisa.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Net Worth and Salary

Carlo Ancelotti is one of the richest coaches in the world with an estimated annual net worth of $50 million. The Italian also earns around £9.6m in wages per year at Real Madrid, making him one of the highest-paid managers. 

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