The maestro. The father. The boss. He’s leaving. The most successful coach in Real Madrid’s 123-year history is saying goodbye. The man with the iconic eyebrow and the ever-present box of gum. Carlo Ancelotti is leaving—the gentleman with the elegant answers. Carletto is leaving—the one who danced with Camavinga at Cibeles. The boss with the glasses and the cigar. An Italian in love with Madrid. With Real Madrid. With his Real Madrid.
Six seasons: two in his first spell, four in his second. And now, it’s official—Ancelotti will no longer coach Real Madrid. Today is the day. That day. It has arrived. Arrivederci.
It was an open secret—Brazil had already announced it on May 12. But now, it’s a stark reality. A reminder of what this club has always been: a place where the air itself demands excellence and doesn’t hesitate to burn everything down when needed. No matter the name. No matter the legacy. Today, another chapter closes. Not even Ancelotti, with his 15 titles, has survived a single bad season. One. That’s all it takes. No one is spared. A warning to all.
London was checkmate. That’s Real Madrid. That’s the rule. It all came crashing down in London—that brutal 3–0 defeat against Arsenal. The signs had been there for months. The football was more about survival than dominance. The project had started to fray at the edges. And that loss lit the bonfire. The end of a cycle was coming into focus. The need for change became impossible to ignore. Carlo couldn’t find the key this season—and that’s the hard truth. There was still one bullet left: winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey. But it was all or nothing. And in the end, it was nothing.
And in Seville, the final nail in the coffin. On April 26, at La Cartuja, Madrid edged out a 3–2 win. But it was more than a result—it was the final act. The club had made up its mind. The glory years of this cycle were over. Talks had been ongoing. With Ancelotti. With Xabi Alonso. Even with Klopp.
Xabi Alonso will sign for Real Madrid tomorrow
But the successor is set: Xabi. The official announcement is expected tomorrow. He’ll take over June 1, in time for the Club World Cup. The club has already promised three reinforcements: Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen (already confirmed), and Carreras. The Xabi Alonso era begins in a week.
“Thank you. I’ve never had a fight with the club… and I won’t on my last day,” Ancelotti said. “When I leave, all I’ll do is thank Real Madrid. It will be a fantastic farewell, because I have so much affection for this club… and the feeling is mutual. It will be a beautiful goodbye.” A man of his word. True to his mantra: there will never be problems. And there won’t be. But yes—there’s pain. He had a year left on his contract. He wanted to stay. Of course he did. But it wasn’t to be.
The manager of egos, the master of calm, is leaving. The man who made one of the most iconic phone calls in football history. It was late May 2021. Zidane had stepped down, exhausted by internal tensions. Madrid scrambled to find a replacement. The plan was Allegri—until Juventus swooped in with a last-minute mega offer. Panic mode.
And then came the call.
Ancelotti, then at Everton, rang José Ángel Sánchez—Florentino’s right-hand man—asking about transfer targets. The answer: “Until we appoint a coach, nothing moves.” And Carletto made his pitch. “I told him Madrid needed one of the best. He asked who. I said, ‘Did you forget about 2014?‘” Sánchez replied, “Do you want to come back? Can you?”
“Give me five minutes.” It took less than four. Barely 220 seconds later, Ancelotti’s phone rang again. This time, it was Florentino Pérez. In that moment, it was done. Carlo was coming home.Sometimes, life rewards boldness. That risk? It earned him 11 more trophies.
And so began Ancelotti’s second chapter at Real Madrid—what he called a “honeymoon,” a Schrödinger paradox. Because though it ends now, in a way, it never will.“It goes on, and will go on forever,” he said before his final Clásico. “Madrid, like Milan, stays in the heart. As in any relationship, there’s passion at the beginning… and other things later. But this honeymoon will last until the final day of my life.” He already knew. His eyes gave it away. These are the last days on the bench of his life.
And what a reign it was. The most successful coach in Real Madrid’s history. No small feat. With his final title—the Intercontinental Cup—he reached 15, surpassing even the legendary Miguel Muñoz.
Miguel Muñoz’s 14-title legacy is now second-best. Ancelotti is leaving the throne. But the crown? It’s his. Forever.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Champions League record
The manager with the most Champions League appearances in history: 224. He surpassed Sir Alex Ferguson’s 214 at Anfield—another milestone in a career defined by them.
It all began on August 13, 1997, when Ancelotti took charge of his very first Champions League match with Parma—a 3–1 win over Widzew Łódź, featuring a hat trick from Enrico Chiesa (yes, Federico’s father). Since that night, 27 years, 9 months, and 9 days have passed. In that time, he hasn’t just endured—he’s dominated.
Ancelotti also holds the record for the most Champions League victories as a manager: 127, surpassing Ferguson’s 115.
Brazil is his next challenge
The negotiations were intense—because for Carletto, staying at Real Madrid was always the first priority. He wanted to exhaust every chance to remain. Talks with Brazil were ongoing, even meetings took place—like the one in London—but no contract was signed. And the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) was growing impatient.
They wanted him in place for the June international break (the 6th and the 11th). That urgency is what triggered the official announcement. For Ancelotti to select the squad for those matches, he had to begin his work immediately. But that wasn’t the only reason.
CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues also wanted to make the deal public before facing the court ruling that would ultimately lead to his dismissal—he was found guilty of fraud. Over time, the pieces have started to make sense.
Ancelotti is officially Brazil’s new manager. His contract runs through the 2026 World Cup.
He becomes just the third foreign coach in the history of the Seleção—after Joreca in 1944 and Filpo Núñez in 1965, neither of whom lasted more than two games. That makes Carletto the first true foreign coach of Brazil in the modern era.
His new chapter begins on May 26, one day after his final match with Real Madrid. On that day, he’ll announce his first squad. A new life begins—for him, and for Brazil.
It’s a historic deal: Ancelotti will earn around €10 million per year, with a hefty bonus if he wins the World Cup. The CBF will provide a home in Rio de Janeiro and a private jet for frequent travel to Europe.
Ancelotti: history maker
The coach who delivered La Décima, who returned after years away and added two more: La Decimoquarta and La Decimoquinta. Proof that sometimes, in football and in life, the sequel can surpass the original.
He was the quiet genius who, when left without Benzema, conjured a new system and gave us Bellingham reborn—repositioned, reimagined, and absolutely devastating. He became the coach of comebacks, of those impossible nights where Real Madrid bent reality—against PSG, against Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern, and so many others. He wasn’t just managing a team; he was conducting a madhouse, and he did it with the poise of a maestro, the calm of a father, and the authority of a boss.
Ancelotti still had one year remaining on his contract, and he wanted to see it through. But the club, believing the time had come to close a chapter and start anew, made the decision to move on. And as always, Carletto—true to his word, to his character—accepted it without complaint. He had long promised there would never be problems, not even on his last day. And there weren’t.
Still, even within the dignity of his departure, there lingers a sense of something that could have been done better. The day the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced his signing, the club offered no statement, no words of thanks—nothing at all. Ancelotti, just hours later, found himself alone at a press conference, answering questions, fielding the narrative, and carrying the weight of the moment by himself. Yet even then—no bitterness, no anger, not even a flicker of resentment. Just Ancelotti, as always: composed, respectful, and gracious.
It is, undeniably, a painful farewell—not because it was hostile or dramatic, but because it was unwanted. He wanted to stay. And though both sides reached an agreement, it is still a dismissal, however softened by mutual respect. From the beginning to the very end, Carlo lived at the mercy of the club’s needs, putting Real Madrid first, always. And now, on this day, the final decision has been made.
How many games did Ancelotti win with Real Madrid?
From Madrid, he now sets off for Brazil. Ancelotti leaves behind a legacy built over 352 official matches, with 249 victories, 50 draws, and 53 defeats. He departs having won 15 titles—more than any other coach in the club’s 123-year history. And through it all, he lived not just a career, but a dream.
The maestro, the father, the boss is leaving. Today is the day—the moment we all knew would come, but hoped might be postponed just a little longer.Above all, a legend is leaving. After six unforgettable seasons across two spells, he says goodbye. Head held high, like the trademark eyebrow—always raised, always watching. Ciao, Carletto. And thank you.
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