Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti insists that he knew his AC Milan side were going to win against Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final after losing to the Reds in Istanbul two years earlier.
Despite the Serie A side racing into a 3-0 lead, a Steven Gerrard-inspired Liverpool recorded one of the greatest comeback victories in a major sporting final by drawing level with three goals in just six minutes early in the second half before triumphing on penalties in 2005.
However, as unlikely as that success was for the Reds, many believe they should have beaten an ageing Milan side when the two sides met again in Athens.
Appearing on Rio Ferdinand’s show ‘Between the Lines’ which airs on BT Sport’s YouTube channel, Ancelotti said: “We didn’t deserve to lose in 2005 and I think it was destiny that gave us the opportunity to replay the final against Liverpool.
“I knew for sure we were going to win in 2007.”
Recalling the night that Liverpool supporters dubbed ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’, Ancelotti believes that a strong mentality is more important than technique when it comes to shoot-outs.
He said: “Milan were the best because I had Pirlo, Shevchenko – I had the best penalty shooters but we didn’t win because of the mental aspect at the end of the game, at the end of extra time for the fact that we were winning 3-0 and then 3-3 they were dead on their feet…
“In 2003 [Milan’s Champions League final win over Juventus], I didn’t really have good penalty takers because I had 5-3 defenders, we won... It’s mentality not technical skill to shoot a penalty.
“The club, the owner gave us the support to move forward quickly [following the 2005 final] and to prepare well the season after.
“The season after, it was a good season – we didn’t win because we reached the semi-final against Barcelona in 2006, we lost the semi-final but at the time the club was really strong and the owner supported us and supported me after the defeat 100%.”
In 2014, Ancelotti steered Real Madrid to ‘La Decima’, their 10th European Cup, with a 4-1 extra time victory over neighbours Atletico in Lisbon.
It was the Italian’s third success in the competition as a coach, meaning he became only the second man in history to achieve the feat after Liverpool legend Bob Paisley.
Zinedine Zidane has subsequently joined the pair but on equalling Paisley, Ancelotti said: “It’s a good achievement because the Champions League is the best competition in the world.”
Further episodes of Rio Ferdinand’s Between The Lines will be released over the coming weeks and will be available to watch on the BT Sport YouTube channel, Twitter, Facebook and at BTSport.com
