Carlo Ancelotti becomes first manager to claim titles in Europe’s top five leagues
Real Madrid’s LaLiga triumph capped a remarkable milestone for Carlo Ancelotti on Saturday as the Italian became the first manager to capture titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues — England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
Real clinched their 35th league crown following a thumping 4-0 win against Espanyol, clinching the title with almost a month of the season remaining.
Ancelotti who has one of the most-decorated CVs in world football was lured back to Madrid for a second spell last June following the departure of club great Zinedine Zidane.
His winning run began with steering AC Milan to the Serie A title in 2004, before triumphs in the Premier League with Chelsea in 2010, Ligue 1 with Paris St Germain in 2013 and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 2017.
While winning LaLiga would be considered as a huge achievement for many clubs and managers, for Ancelotti it only signals a job half done.
Having already won the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2014, helping the Spaniards to their fabled ‘Decima’ (10th) European crown before being sacked 12 months later, he now also stands on the cusp of becoming the most successful manager in the tournament’s history.
Along with Bob Paisley and Zidane, Ancelotti has won the European Cup or Champions League on three occasions as a manager, having also led AC Milan to glory in 2003 and 2007band then Madrid in 2014.
Real Madrid will be battling it out against Manchester City in the semifinals of this year’s tournament and the Italian will be determined to take sole ownership of that record.
To do that, however, he will first need Real to overturn a 4-3 first-leg deficit against City on Wednesday as the Spaniards chase a 17th appearance in the final of Europe’s premier club competition.
