Ancelotti bids emotional farewell to take place among Real Madrid greats

MADRID -- Carlo Ancelotti had warned america earlier the game: "I get affectional quickly. My gramps did, and my begetter did too. So if I cry, there's nary problem, I won't fell it." So erstwhile the tears came, connected Saturday astatine the Santiago Bernabéu, it was nary surprise. Real Madrid had conscionable beaten Real Sociedad 2-0 successful their past lucifer of the LaLiga season. But the crippled itself didn't matter, and neither did the result.

As the stadium's elephantine screens showed video highlights of Ancelotti's six years astatine Madrid crossed his 2 spells arsenic manager the camera chopped distant to amusement him connected the touchline, taking it each in. His eyes were already red, arsenic helium puffed retired his cheeks, trying to constitute himself. He wiped distant his tears and astir reluctantly stepped retired onto the pitch, taking a microphone to code the crowd.

"It's been an honor, a pleasure, to manager this club," helium said. "It's an unforgettable story. Nobody volition hide Karim [Benzema]'s 3 goals against Paris Saint-Germain [in 2022]. Nobody volition hide Rodrygo's 2 goals against Manchester City [that aforesaid year]. Nobody volition hide Joselu's 2 goals [against Bayern Munich, successful 2024]. And I won't hide each time I've spent here. Ciao."

Ancelotti, the astir palmy manager successful Real Madrid's history, was saying goodbye, and helium was feeling the value of the moment. The timing mightiness beryllium right, and his destination -- Brazil -- couldn't beryllium much exciting. But it's inactive a wrench for Ancelotti to permission Madrid, the metropolis helium calls home, and the nine helium loves.

In the end, helium wasn't alone. Luka Modric, arguably the club's best-ever midfielder, was playing his past crippled astatine the Bernabéu. Before the game, duplicate banners were unfurled astatine either extremity of the stadium. "Thank you, Carletto," 1 said. "Thank you, legend," said the other, for Modric.

But Modric volition play for Madrid astatine the FIFA Club World Cup this summer, earlier helium departs. For Ancelotti, this is it: his past Real Madrid game, his past starting XI, his past half-time squad talk, the past of what helium said indispensable person been 700 quality conferences.

Ancelotti has near Real Madrid before. He was archetypal fired connected May 25, 2015. When asked why, nine president Florentino Pérez famously said: "I don't know." Really, the crushed was simple: Madrid hadn't won a large trophy that season, truthful Ancelotti was gone. Ten years later, astir to the day, he's leaving again, for the aforesaid reason.

But Ancelotti volition beryllium portion of this nine everlastingly now. No manager has won much than Ancelotti's 15 trophies here. Only Miguel Muñoz -- who was manager for 15 years -- has managed the squad successful much games. "My enslaved with Real Madrid is eternal," Ancelotti said connected Friday, successful a farewell connection connected societal media.

And truthful are the memories, the moments, and the memes. Ancelotti, wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigar, connected the team's open-top autobus aft winning the league successful 2022. Ancelotti, relentlessly chewing gum connected the touchline, a wont helium picked up aft quitting smoking. Ancelotti, raising one, iconic eyebrow, earlier effortlessly handling different journalist's question, successful his own, idiosyncratic premix of Spanish and Italian.

As Ancelotti said, cipher who was contiguous for Real Madrid's inexplicable tally of UEFA Champions League comebacks astatine the Bernabéu successful 2022 volition ever hide them. "Obviously, the archetypal memories [that travel to mind] are the comebacks," helium had said connected Friday. "The nights against Chelsea, PSG, City, are forever."

He was unfairly pigeonholed arsenic an adept antheral manager but constricted tactician. It was an representation helium resented, and fought against. "Everybody recognizes that I'm fantastic astatine [man] management, but this squad is well coached," helium said, delaying the extremity of a quality league to marque a point, successful April 2023. "If we triumph the Copa [del Rey], we'll person won each imaginable trophy successful 2 seasons. Some teams don't bash that successful a lifetime."

Despite his reputation, Ancelotti wasn't lone astir a airy touch. This is simply a manager who reinvented Ángel Di María arsenic a box-to-box midfielder to triumph the Champions League successful 2013-14; made Karim Benzema a Ballon d'Or-winning extremity instrumentality successful 2021-22; turned Jude Bellingham into a free-scoring, line-leading mendacious No. 9 successful 2023-24.

He recovered tactical solutions to each kinds of problems, until helium was confronted with 1 helium couldn't fix: however to acceptable Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Bellingham and Rodrygo into this season's team, portion maintaining the admirable "collective commitment" that had won Madrid the treble a twelvemonth earlier.

"Real Madrid is simply a demanding club, but it has to be," Ancelotti said this week. "Its past doesn't let it to bash things immoderate different way." And that means Ancelotti is leaving what mightiness beryllium his past nine job, to instrumentality Brazil into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with 1 of his erstwhile players, Xabi Alonso, stepping into his shoes.

Yes, this play has been a wide nonaccomplishment by Real Madrid standards. But that won't detract from Ancelotti's legacy. His 2nd act, with 11 trophies -- including 2 Champions Leagues -- successful 4 years, has made definite of that. And it's each the much awesome for being truthful unexpected, a glorious accident.

When Zinedine Zidane walked distant successful May 2021, aggravated astatine a deficiency of backing from the club, Ancelotti wasn't connected Madrid's managerial shortlist. His archetypal spell, betwixt 2013 and 2015, had brought La Décima, the club's 10th European Cup. But it hadn't ended well. There was unhappiness astatine the mode his sacking was handled. And anyway, that was six years ago. Ancelotti was astatine Everton now, and viewed by astir everybody arsenic nearing the extremity of his top-level career.

Ancelotti wasn't acceptable to judge that. He has since explained that, successful a speech with the nine astir imaginable signings for Everton, helium suggested himself arsenic Zidane's replacement. What followed was similar a dream. In his archetypal play back, those comebacks -- and Benzema's goals -- won Madrid the Champions League, and LaLiga.

The adjacent play was tougher; Ancelotti astir mislaid his occupation successful 2023, erstwhile helium was archetypal tempted by Brazil. Instead, helium signed a caller deal, and past 2023-24 was adjacent impeccable: different double, different Champions League. It mightiness person been Ancelotti's champion comeback of all. He called it a "10 retired of 10" season.

But arsenic Ancelotti admitted aft that Champions League last astatine Wembley, determination is "continuous demand" astatine Real Madrid. "We are ne'er satisfied," helium said. And truthful this season's nonaccomplishment demands changes, and 1 of them is the manager.

The problems successful 2024-25 person been good documented. They began past summer, erstwhile important players left, and were not replaced. It wasn't conscionable Toni Kroos, whose lack has been felt astir keenly; it was nine skipper Nacho, and underrated 'Plan B' halfway guardant Joselu. Yes, 1 of the world's champion players arrived, successful Mbappé. But successful different areas, successful midfield and defense, the squad was weaker.

Sources told ESPN that Ancelotti had pushed for signings successful private, but successful nationalist helium has refused to knock the club's inaction. "Since I've been here, Real Madrid person signed [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Antonio] Rüdiger, [Aurélien] Tchouaméni, Bellingham, Mbappé," helium said this week. "Could I inquire for much [signings]? No."

Worse was to travel erstwhile arguably the team's 2 champion defenders, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão, were ruled retired with semipermanent injuries. By the extremity of the season, each 4 of Madrid's first-choice backmost 4 were unavailable. And the lack of Carvajal, added to those of Kroos and Nacho, went acold beyond what helium offers connected the pitch. Players who were leaders and relation models for the adjacent procreation were gone.

As aboriginal arsenic Madrid's archetypal league crippled of the season, connected Aug. 18, 2024, distant astatine Mallorca -- a level 1-1 gully -- Ancelotti was alert of a problem. "The defending wasn't good," helium said. "It was hard for america to triumph the shot aft losing it. When I speech astir defending, we're talking astir cognition and corporate commitment. The squad was excessively open."

It was a connection aimed astatine the players, which ne'er seemed to get through. "[The forwards] person done a fantastic occupation successful attack, but the squad needs their antiaircraft assistance too," Ancelotti said successful February. "We've lacked a spot of equilibrium successful the team... It's a corporate problem." The injuries, added to the squad's preexisting flaws, would person been hard for immoderate manager to overcome. But that hasn't shielded Ancelotti from criticism. It's a coach's occupation to get the champion retired of the players astatine their disposal. Ancelotti has been moving with a squad assembled astatine immense disbursal -- boasting 3 players who finished successful the apical six successful past year's Ballon d'Or -- and they person underperformed.

Nowhere was that much evident than Madrid's 4 Clásico losses this season, beaten 4-0, 5-2, 3-2 and 4-3 by Barcelona. That, added to the team's broad 5-1 aggregate decision to Arsenal successful the Champions League quarterfinals, meant determination was nary uncertainty that Ancelotti would beryllium leaving, a twelvemonth earlier his declaration was owed to expire successful June 2026. The lone question was when, and how, his departure would beryllium made official.

Brazil's hurry to person a caller manager successful spot led to a bizarre script wherever the Brazilian Football Confederation announced Ancelotti's exit connected May 12, astir 2 weeks earlier the nine did. It made for an awkward concern for Ancelotti; helium handled it arsenic champion helium could.

"When you get astatine Real Madrid, you cognize that 1 time it's over," helium said, a time aft CBF had made his signing public. "I couldn't beryllium Real Madrid manager forever. ... It mightiness beryllium that the nine needs caller impetus. There's nary request for drama. ... Maybe it was the clip for a change."

Ancelotti has mocked suggestions that taking a tougher attack with his players mightiness person yielded antithetic results. "I've got aggravated [with the players] a batch this season, but for maine it's astir having a narration connected the aforesaid level, and that means respecting, and being respected," helium said successful April. "People person said 'use the whip' more. But I can't bash that. You'd person to motion different coach. For me, that isn't the way."

His estimation won't endure due to the fact that of what happened this season; if anything, the predictably dignified mode successful which helium has handled his farewell has added to it. "People tin person their sentiment -- affirmative oregon antagonistic -- of maine arsenic a coach," helium said connected Friday. "But I'd alternatively beryllium remembered arsenic a bully person."