Carlo Ancelotti refused to pick a best XI given the sheer amount of talent he worked with during his career, instead opting to highlight 28 stars in one of the most stacked résumés ever.
Though his second stint with Real Madrid came to an unceremonious end, Ancelotti is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers ever, arguably the greatest considering the trophies he won. Ancelotti is the only manager to win each of Europe’s top five leagues and is the only manager to win five Champions Leagues, too.
What might go unnoticed, though, is the list of footballing icons he managed over the last 30 years.
Now leading the Brazil national team, the 66-year-old recently spoke with Gary Lineker on the latter’s The Rest is Football podcast.
Refusing to name a best XI, Ancelotti instead reminded everyone of the big names he managed.
Ancelotti Highlights 28 Standout Players From Managerial Career
The Italian did not name any attackers, but here’s the full breakdown of goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders:
Notable Goalkeepers Managed by Ancelotti
- Angelo Peruzzi - Juventus
- Dida - AC Milan
- Petr Čech - Chelsea
- Manuel Neuer - Bayern Munich
- Iker Casillas - Real Madrid
- Thibaut Courtois - Real Madrid
- Gianluigi Buffon - Parma
Notable Defenders Managed by Ancelotti
- John Terry - Chelsea
- Alex - AC Milan
- Ricardo Carvalho - Chelsea
- Jaap Stam - AC Milan
- Alessandro Nesta - AC Milan
- Paolo Maldini - AC Milan
- Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid
- Pepe - Real Madrid
- Raphaël Varane - Real Madrid
Notable Midfielders Managed by Ancelotti
- Andrea Pirlo - AC Milan
- Xabi Alonso - Real Madrid
- Toni Kroos - Real Madrid
- Luka Modrić - Real Madrid
- Casemiro - Real Madrid
- Frank Lampard - Chelsea
- Michael Ballack - Chelsea
- Michael Essien - Chelsea
- Arturo Vidal - Bayern Munich
- Clarence Seedorf - AC Milan
- Gennaro Gattuso - AC Milan
- Massimo Ambrosini - AC Milan
Club Breakdown per Ancelotti’s List
And that doesn’t even include attackers and the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Filippo Inzaghi, Vinicius Junior, Andriy Shevchenko, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Gareth Bale and others.
Plus, he left out players like Kaká, Cafu, Gianluca Zambrotta and Marcelo.
Ancelotti might be happy to stack not only his trophy haul against other managers, but even the list of players he’s managed might rival anyone.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Carlo Ancelotti Lists Nine of the Best Real Madrid Players He Managed.
