There are games that become historical over time. Those that at the moment of truth have nothing to tell about, but a few years later there are many. Such was the match between Sparta Prague and Parma in the first round of the group stage of the 1997/1998 UEFA Champions League, 0:0 poor and full of yellow cards (ten of them), that only over the years did it become clear how big it was.
This match marks the Champions League debut of three: Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro, who started in the Italians' line-up at the time, and Carlo Ancelotti, who was on the sidelines at the time. While the first two have won many trophies but not the most important European trophy of all, Ancelotti became the record holder for Champions League titles with four titles. Tonight, in the semi-final against Manchester City, the 63-year-old Italian will also become the manager with the most appearances at the club, reaching 191 games, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson behind.
With two Champions League titles at AC Milan and two more at Real Madrid, Ancelotti has earned the image of a European title builder. He is also the only coach to have won championships in the continent's five major leagues. You could make the mistake of thinking that this man doesn't know how to lose, but the reality is that few have lost like him. "It's true that I have a tray full of trophies," he recently admitted, "but if I kept my losses, I'd need a whole house for it."
After all, Ancelotti was there in one of the biggest defeats of all, that night in Istanbul in 2005, when his great Milan lost a 3-0 lead against Liverpool and lost the penalty shootout. The Italian was also sacked from Chelsea, left PSG because the owners made unreasonable demands on him, was sacked from Bayern Munich in September after a 3-0 loss to PSG, fell out with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentis and had a less successful period at Everton. In fact, at the beginning of his coaching career and following several runners-up with Juventus, he was nicknamed "a spectacular loser" and also a "man of almost".
Celebrating with his players winning the Copa del Rey ten days ago, Photo: AFP
"Get by yourself"
Today, as mentioned, Ancelotti's image is different. Not a loser and not almost, a real winner. He led Real Madrid to a double last year including a frantic run in the Champions League, bringing them a trophy this year and putting them one game away from another Champions League final. Unlike his opponent tonight Pep Guardiola, a winner in his field, who comes across as a tactical genius who can't contain losses, the Italian actually looks like someone who has learned to live with them. He has developed a calm, laid-back and drama-free nature that is a little hard to believe the stories that in the beginning, when he was coaching Regina, the business was so heavy on him that he announced that he was retiring from coaching in 2000.
Ancelotti with Pep, photo: EPA
As we know, he did not retire, and it seems that the first thing he did was know how to deal with the pressure and the stars. For example, at Milan, when he had to assemble a midfield squad that included Kaka, Clarence Seedorf, Rui Costa and Andrea Pirlo, he simply told them: "Understand for yourself how you all get along or every game I put one else on the bench." In last year's Champions League semi-final, when extra-time began, instead of gathering the players for a motivational speech or tactical lecture, he simply approached Toni Kroos and Marcelo and consulted them on what substitution to make. Reminder: He didn't make a substitution until the 105th minute, Real won and advanced to the final.
It could be character, it could be age, but Ancelotti has learned not to mix stress with work and certainly not to get excited about losses and criticism. "I've been in football since 1977," he recalled last year, "I don't have the time or energy to deal with it too much." This season Real could easily have broken from the cracks that appeared in the Spanish league or Supercup, but the Italian coach steered the situation his way and the white ship is still stable and sailing. This is probably the way to coach 191 Champions League games and also win the trophy four times, which may soon become five.
The hottest sports articles and updates on your Telegram
Did we make a mistake? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us
