Ashley Cole snubbed Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho as he named Carlo Ancelotti as his favourite manager he worked with.
During a 20-year playing career, the former left-back played under some of the greatest coaches in history, with stints alongside Wenger at Arsenal and Mourinho and Ancelotti at Chelsea.
Cole emerged from the Gunners' academy in 1999 and was handed his first-team debut by Wenger at the age of 18, going on to win two Premier League and three FA Cup titles at Highbury.
After making the switch from north to west London in 2006, Cole continued to thrive under Mourinho until his sacking in 2007, and again when the Portuguese returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013.
Between Mourinho's two spells, Ancelotti spent two years in the Blues hot seat and led Chelsea to a league-FA Cup double in 2010.
And Cole admits the strong relationship he had with Ancelotti makes the Italian icon his favourite manager he played for.
"My favourite manager that I’ve played under, I would say is Carlo Ancelotti," the former England man told 90min .
Where does Ancelotti place against Wenger and Mourinho in the all-time great manager rankings? Have your say here!
"I played under some great ones, they were all different and I loved them for different reasons, but I just felt that with Carlo Ancelotti, I had a really, really good bond with him.
"Of course I admired him, he was a legend as a player and then of course what he achieved as a manager. Then he came to Chelsea and he was just that man manager that everyone seemed to love, whether you were playing or not.
"He was capable of putting that arm around you when needed – not just about football stuff, if you’re struggling off the field, he was very understanding which as players you want.
"You see that human side in people, it’s not all about football, so for me he was my favourite, and tactically at times he was a genius.
"He had that understanding whether to go into in-depth tactics or to trust the players to go out and deliver what he says in the team meeting."
Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.
