Zidane praises ‘important’ Ancelotti and Sacchi’s Milan side: “An impressive team”

Zinedine Zidane was a guest at the Festival dello Sport earlier today, talking about everything from his past to the future. Among other things, he also praised the Milan legend Carlo Ancelotti, as well as the Rossoneri side of Arrigo Sacchi. 

As a former Juventus player, it’s safe to say that Milan fans might have mixed feelings about Zidane. His quality back in the day is undeniable, and what he was able to achieve with Real Madrid for so many years is equally as impressive.

Just as there is respect for the Frenchman from the Milan environment, the 53-year-old has a lot of respect for the Rossoneri. Speaking at the Festival dello Sport, he praised the Milan legend Ancelotti (his former coach, and they also worked together at Real Madrid) and Arrigo Sacchi’s team.

On Ancelotti…

“An old friend, important to my career. A good coach, because he listens to the player. Every coach has their own characteristics, and you take something from each one. Carlo listened a lot to the players. I think passion for football is the most important characteristic for a coach. Instilling something in the players, sharing what you have inside.

“If you’re passionate, you always pass something on. The coach is very important, he counts for 80% of a team. If the coach is serious, the players are serious. You have to convey good energy. I tried to convey total confidence.”

On the strongest team of all time…

“Milan, with van Basten, Rijkaard, Gullit, Baresi, and Maldini. That team won so many games. Sacchi’s side was an impressive team.”

Zidane was also asked about which player he would like to coach again between Luka Modric (who has been great for Milan this season) and Cristiano Ronaldo. He brought up a few more names and also stated that the Croatian never lost the ball in training.

“Both are extraordinary players, even Benzema. Imagine an hour and a half of training without losing the ball. Never. There are 3-4 players who did that: Modric, Kroos, Benzema, and Isco. Cristiano lost it a bit (smiles), but he scored some impressive goals, so…”