Carlo Ancelotti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkarlo antʃeˈlɔtti]; born 10 June 1959) is an Italian football manager, and the current manager of Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1. Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and four Coppa Italia honours and was part of the legendary late 1980s Milan team with whom he won two Scudetti and two European Cups in a five-year period. He was capped 26 times and scored one goal for the Italian national team and appeared at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.

After spells as manager of Reggiana, Parma and Juventus, Ancelotti was appointed Milan manager in 2001. He won the Scudetto in 2004, the Champions League in 2003 and 2007 and the Coppa Italia in 2003. They were also Serie A and Champions League runner-ups in 2005. He is one of six men to have won the European Cup/Champions League as player and manager. In May 2009, he was appointed Chelsea manager and in his first season led them to a historic Premier League and FA Cup Double. He became only the second non-British manager to win the double, the other being Arsène Wenger. After an uneven Premier League season in which Chelsea failed to retain the title, Ancelotti was dismissed as their manager in May 2011. On 30 December 2011, Ancelotti signed a contract with ambitious French side Paris Saint-Germain.

Club career[link]

Ancelotti began his career in 1974 with Parma. In 1979, he transferred to Roma, as captain and midfielder, where he won the Italian championship in 1983, the Coppa Italia four times, and helped Roma to reach the European Cup final in 1984. From 1987 until 1992, he played for Milan, and was part of the squad that won consecutive European Cups in 1989 and 1990. During this time, Milan played with one of their finest teams ever assembled in that decade, with Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti, and Alessandro Costacurta as defenders; Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, and Roberto Donadoni as midfielders; and Marco van Basten upfront. His finest moment with Milan was when he received a pass from Ruud Gullit, dribbled around two Real Madrid players, and netted a powerful long-range shot during the Rossoneri's 5–0 thrashing of Real in the 1989 European Cup semi-finals. He went on to play all 90 minutes in Milan's 4–0 dismantling of Steaua Bucureşti in the final.

International career[link]

Ancelotti made his Italian national team debut and scored his first and only goal on 6 January 1981 in a one-off tournament against the Netherlands, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He was very likely to be capped for the 1982 World Cup campaign, but a dramatic knee injury forced him away for several months. He also went on to appear in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, along with Roberto Donadoni, Roberto Mancini, and Paolo Maldini. Ancelotti made a total of 26 performances, scoring one goal for Italy before he announced his retirement from international football in 1991.

Managerial career[link]

Early years[link]

A student at Coverciano, where he penned a research article entitled "Il Futuro del Calcio: Più Dinamicità"^[2] (English: The Future of Football: More Dynamic) Ancelotti began his managerial career with Reggiana in 1995, where Reggiana achieved promotion to Serie A. He left the following year, however, for Parma. In 1996, Ancelotti was appointed manager of Parma, which included future Italy stars Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro. Parma finished second in the 1996–97 season, which guaranteed them a Champions League place. The following season, Ancelotti guided them to a fifth place, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. In 1999, he was appointed Juventus manager, where he both succeeded and preceded Marcello Lippi, who returned to the club when Ancelotti left. Ancelotti's season began promisingly, winning the Intertoto Cup by beating Rennes 4–2 on aggregate. The following season, however, he went trophyless, finishing runner-up twice in the Serie A.

Milan[link]

Ancelotti was appointed Milan manager in 2001, after Fatih Terim was sacked due to poor results. He was inheriting another recently trophyless team in Milan, as the Rossoneri had floundered domestically and in Europe since their last Scudetto victory in 1999. In his first full season, Ancelotti soon had Milan back in European competition, leading them to the semi-finals of the 2001–02 UEFA Cup. The following season, Ancelotti, who was heavily criticized by club owner Silvio Berlusconi due to his defensive tactics, was able to adopt a creative play in Milan while making several roster changes. He made Dida, still maligned for his 2000–01 Champions League howler against Leeds United, his new starting goalkeeper barely a month into the 2002–03 season, while converting budding attacking midfielder Andrea Pirlo to a defensive playmaker and playing him behind Rui Costa. At the same time, Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko were dominant and dynamic. Milan won the 2003 Champions League, beating Juventus 3–2 on penalties at Old Trafford and the Coppa Italia and took home the Scudetto in 2004. Under Ancelotti's reign, Milan were also back-to-back Serie A runners-up to Juventus in 2004–05 and 2005–06 "(both Scudetti were later wiped from the record books due to Juventus involvement in the Calciopoli scandal)" and lost the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final to Liverpool, losing 3–2 on penalties after leading 3–0 at halftime. Two years later, though, Milan avenged their defeat to Liverpool with a 2–1 win at the Olympic Stadium in Athens in 2007, leading to Ancelotti's second Champions League trophy as Milan coach and his fourth title overall, having also won it twice as a Milan player in 1989 and 1990. He also won the FIFA Club World Cup that year, the first manager to do so with a European club. Ancelotti announced his resignation from Milan less than an hour following their 2–0 victory over Fiorentina on 31 May 2009, after the club terminated his contract by mutual consent with one year remaining.

Chelsea[link]

2009–10[link]

On 1 June 2009, Ancelotti, succeeding temporary replacement Guus Hiddink, was confirmed as the new Chelsea manager after agreeing to a three-year contract, and formally assumed his duties on 1 July.^[3] His salary at Chelsea was initially reported to be more than £5 million per year.^[4] Ancelotti became the club's fourth permanent manager in 21 months, following José Mourinho, Avram Grant, and Luiz Felipe Scolari. He was also the third Italian to manage Chelsea, after Gianluca Vialli and Claudio Ranieri. On 9 August 2009, Ancelotti won his first trophy as Chelsea manager, the Community Shield, beating Manchester United on penalties, following a 2–2 draw. His first Premier League game in charge of the Blues ended in a 2–1 home victory over Hull City on 15 August 2009. Chelsea lost their first game under Ancelotti at the DW Stadium against Wigan Athletic on 26 September, losing 3–1. They were eliminated from the League Cup on 2 December, reaching the quarter-finals stage after a penalty shootout defeat to Blackburn Rovers after a 3–3 draw at Ewood Park. Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League on 16 March 2010 after a 3–1 aggregate loss to Internazionale, having lost both home and away, in the Round of 16 stage. On 9 May 2010, Ancelotti led Chelsea to win the Premier League title, beating Manchester United by one point and setting scoring records. The team finished the campaign with 103 goals, becoming the first team to score more than 100 goals in the top flight of English football since Tottenham Hotspur in the 1962–63 First Division season (Tottenham finished second).^[5] Chelsea secured the title with a 8–0 victory over Wigan Athletic at Stamford Bridge.^[6] Ancelotti also became the first Italian manager to win the Premier League^[7] and only the fifth manager overall in the league's 18 seasons. On 15 May 2010, Ancelotti led Chelsea to win the 2009–10 FA Cup, beating Portsmouth 1–0 in the final at Wembley, which marked the third time Chelsea had won the FA Cup in four years, equaling a record set by Arsenal between 2002 and 2005. The Cup win secured Chelsea's first ever domestic double.

2010–11[link]

The following season, after having lost to Manchester United in the Community Shield in August, Ancelotti led Chelsea to the top of the table on the first weekend of the season thanks to a 6–0 rout of newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion. Chelsea a followed this result with another 6–0 win, this time over Wigan, whilst Stoke City were beaten 2–0 there after. Chelsea had a good start to the season, winning the first five matches. His success was easily forgotten, however, as he failed a second time in the English League Cup, losing 4–3 to Newcastle United on 23 September 2010. He then went on to lose against Manchester City in the Premier League on a 1–0 loss due to a cleverly taken strike by City captain Carlos Tévez. He made a good start in Europe by beating Marseille and Žilina 2–0 and 4–1, respectively, in the Champions League. After a disappointment at the City of Manchester Stadium, Chelsea defeated fourth-placed Arsenal 2–0 due to a goal from Didier Drogba and a free-kick by defender Alex. His next defeat of the season came against Liverpool at Anfield, where they lost 2–0 with both goals coming from Fernando Torres. Chelsea would later go to sign the striker in January. A week later, Chelsea suffered their second Premier League defeat in three matches with a remarkable 3–0 home defeat to Sunderland. They then lost to Arsenal 3–1 at the Emirates Stadium.

On 5 January 2011, Chelsea suffered a shock 1–0 defeat at struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers, leaving them fifth in the League and in real danger of missing out on a Champions League place for the first time since 2002. This result led to Ancelotti ruling out Chelsea's chances of retaining the title, insisting that he did not fear that he would be sacked.^[8] After 15 January, however, Chelsea's form began to turn with a 2–0 home victory against Blackburn Rovers followed by emphatic away wins against Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland, putting them in fourth position, still 10 points behind leaders Manchester United. On 31 January, Chelsea signed Liverpool striker Fernando Torres for a British record £50 million and Benfica defender David Luiz for £22 million. Chelsea lost 1–0 to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge but beat league leaders Manchester United on 1 March in a 2–1 comeback that saw David Luiz net his first Chelsea goal, which was followed by a 3–1 win away to Blackpool. Chelsea were later defeated by Manchester United at home and away (aggregate of 1–3) in the Champions League quarter-finals. Following their defeat in Champions League, Ancelotti shifted his entire focus on the Premier League. Chelsea made a remarkable comeback, defeating Wigan 1–0 at home, West Bromwich Albion 3–1 away, Birmingham City 3–1, West Ham United 3–0 and Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 at home. Chelsea, who were fifth and 15 points behind leaders United, vaulted into the second position the league, just three points behind them. On 8 May, however, Chelsea lost to Manchester United 2–1 at Old Trafford to stay second in the league, now six points behind them with just two more games to play. He was sacked less than two hours after a 1–0 defeat at Everton on 22 May.^[9][10] He was earning £6.5 million per year at Chelsea just before his departure from the club. ^[11] He reportedly received a severance payment of £6 million from Chelsea.^[12]

Paris Saint-Germain[link]

On 30 December 2011, with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the Ligue 1 standings in France, Ancelotti was appointed as the new manager of the club on the same day as their previous manager, Antoine Kombouaré, was released from his contract. His salary at Paris Saint-Germain was reported to be €6 million per year.^[12] On 21 March 2012, Ancelotti experienced his first defeat in charge of Paris Saint-Germain in all competitions as the club fell to a 3–1 defeat at the hands of Olympique Lyonnais in a Coupe de France quarter-final match.^[13] 10 days later, Paris Saint-Germain suffered their first league defeat under Ancelotti when they lost 2-1 away to Nancy.^[14] Paris Saint-Germain ended up as runners-up in Ligue 1 in Ancelotti's first season in charge.

Honours[link]

Player honours[link]

Roma

• Serie A: 1982-83
• Coppa Italia: 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986

Milan

• Serie A: 1987-88, 1991-92
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1988
• European Cup: 1988-89, 1989-90
• UEFA Super Cup: 1989, 1990
• Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990

Managerial honours[link]

Juventus

• Intertoto Cup: 1999

Milan

• Serie A: 2003-04
• Coppa Italia: 2002-03
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2004
• UEFA Champions League: 2002-03, 2006-07
• UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2007

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2009-10
• FA Cup: 2009-10
• Community Shield: 2009

Awards and achievements[link]

• Serie A coach of the Year: 2001, 2004
• Albo Panchina d'Oro: 2002–03, 2003–04
• UEFA Manager of the Year: 2002–03
• World Soccer Magazine Manager of the Year: 2003
• The World's best Club Coach: 2007
• Premier League Manager of the Month: November 2009, August 2010, March 2011, April 2011^[15]

Statistics[link]

Player[link]

^[16]