Carlo Ancelotti has left Everton to rejoin Real Madrid, the Toffees have announced.
The Italian has officially been confirmed as Zinedine Zidane’s successor at Real, rejoining the club where he won the third Champions League title of his managerial career.
As quoted in a statement from Everton, Ancelotti said: “I have complete respect for everyone associated with Everton and hope they can achieve the exciting opportunities they have in front of them.
“While I have enjoyed being at Everton I have been presented with an unexpected opportunity which I believe is the right move for me and my family at this time.”
The statement continued: “Everton would like to place on record its thanks to Carlo for his service to the club over the past 18 months.
“The club will begin the process of appointing a new manager immediately and will provide updates in due course.”
Ancelotti first took charge at the Bernabeu in 2013, leading Real to European glory with a memorable 4-1 win against cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.
He also won the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup before he was sacked in May 2015 and replaced by Rafa Benitez, whose time in Madrid was less successful.
Ancelotti leaves Everton a year and a half into his four-and-a-half year deal, having led the Toffees to a 10th-placed finish in his first full season at Goodison Park. Though Everton flirted with European qualification at various points, they fell away towards the end of the campaign.
Having taken over from Marco Silva midway through the 2019-20 season, Ancelotti has helped to stabilise the club after a tumultuous end to his predecessor’s tenure. He departs amid a major rebuilding job, however, and whoever takes over at Goodison will have to pick up where he left off.
Real may have to pay Everton a significant amount of compensation for Ancelotti, who was under contract until 2024.
Will Carlo Ancelotti be a success at Real Madrid? Comment below
A well respected and popular figure at Real even after his sacking, Ancelotti had a good working relationship with club president Florentino Perez and, as such, his return may not be as surprising as it seems at first glance.
He is now tasked with bringing silverware back to the Bernabeu after the club’s first trophyless season since 2010.
That contributed to Zidane’s departure last week, with Real’s most successful manager of the modern era walking away for the second time in three years.
In an open letter to Real’s fans, Zidane wrote: “I’m going, but I’m not jumping overboard, nor am I tired of coaching.
“In May 2018 I left because after two and a half years, with so many victories and so many trophies, I felt the team needed a new approach to stay at the very highest level.
“Right now, things are different. I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term.
“I understand football and I know the demands of a club like Real Madrid. I know when you don’t win, you have to leave.
“But with this a very important thing has been forgotten, everything I built day-to-day has been forgotten, what I brought to my relationships with the players, with the 150 people who work with and around the team.
“I’m a natural-born winner and I was here to win trophies, but even more important than this are the people, their feelings, life itself and I have the sensation these things have not been taken into account.
“There has been a failure to understand that these things also keep the dynamics of a great club going.”
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