UEFA men's coach of the year 2021-22: Carlo Ancelotti
Real Madrid enjoyed an incredible finish to the season, winning both the Champions League and La Liga. Now they are reaping their awards.
Few, if any saw Real Madrid managing such success last season, especially after Carlo Ancelotti was made manager. His stock had fallen and when he arrived at Real Madrid, many believed he was some way down the shortlist for Los Blancos.
Which must make his triumph all the sweeter. On Thursday evening he was named Coach of the Year by UEFA. Speaking after the award, he once again highlighted the close-knit dressing room as crucial to Marca.
“There is no magic formula for winning. But I have a lot of passion for the sport. Secondly, the quality of the players you have to coach. It was a special season, because we had a very good squad, a good mix between veterans and young players. And that connection was very positive within the dressing room. There was a lot of chemistry in the team, especially with the fans.”
Often during their remarkable Champions League run it would be Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo Goes who provided the impetus in the knockout stages. That, coupled with the incredible longevity of veterans such as Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, sustained Los Blancos through a number of tricky moments. Ancelotti must be given credit for moulding those two groups together though.
◉ First manager to win a league title in each of Europe's top five divisions
◉ First manager to win four Champions League finals
◉ First manager to win four UEFA Super Cup finals
Carlo Ancelotti is the UEFA Men's Coach of the Year.
Sarina wins UEFA 2022 Women's Coach of the Year
