This article was first published in Champions Journal – read the full piece here.

WORDS Paolo Menicucci

When you speak to Carlo Ancelotti, it’s impossible not get swept up in his infectious serenity and positive approach to life, two throwback qualities in the frantic world of modern football. 

And yet the Real Madrid coach is also a fascinating mix of progress as well as tradition, a 64-year-old eager to travel the globe and discover new things, but who will always consider his native village “the most beautiful place in the world”. A manager still dedicated to studying the latest tactical trends without ever forgetting the most important aspect of all, the human factor. In the words of his son and assistant coach Davide, “He’s a very affectionate person both at work and in his personal life.”

I first interviewed Ancelotti at Milanello, AC Milan’s training base, back in 2002. Already, he had come a long way since his youth in Reggiolo, the picturesque rural commune in Reggio Emilia known for its medieval fortress, annual pumpkin festival and – this will come as no surprise – the humble outlook of the locals. 

Milan were in the middle of their triumphant 2002/03 campaign, when Ancelotti led them to Champions League glory by beating his former side Juventus on penalties in the final. Our interview was scheduled for the morning, but we were later told we had to wait until the afternoon. While I was planning to get sandwiches for lunch with the rest of the crew, Ugo – a veteran of the Rossoneri press office and one of the nicest people I have met in football – came over and said the boss had invited us to eat with him and the team in their dining room.

It was my first season as reporter, and I was in my late 20s. I thanked them calmly and politely, but on the inside I was anything but calm, my head pounding with a single thought: “What???” I could hardly believe my eyes as I sat in the same room with Ancelotti and the entire team. 

“He’s a very affectionate person both at work and in his personal life.”

The conversation was easy, the food was delicious, and occasionally the likes of Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso would perch down and talk with Ancelotti about anything and everything. He did all he could to make us feel comfortable. 

He himself was completely at home at Milanello, of course. As a player, he had spent five seasons there, winning the European Cup twice among numerous trophies in the legendary team coached by Arrigo Sacchi. Now here he was in a different role, chatting and joking with the staff, from the chef to the cleaners, and all the while he was building one of the most spectacular sides in Europe.

When I meet with Ancelotti again at Madrid’s beautiful training ground, I cannot help noticing that not much has changed since we first crossed paths 21 years ago. True, I am also here to speak with Davide, one of his right-hand men as opposed to the 13-year-old boy he would have been then. And Carlo is carrying a few more grey hairs these days, but he is probably even fitter than he was at Milan – and his relaxed and humble approach remains the same. So too that famous eyebrow which arches suddenly when he tackles my questions.

Now a record four-time Champions League winner as a coach, Ancelotti

would have every right to proclaim his opinions like a preacher from a pulpit, but instead he is as modest as he was before the first of those victories. “One key element is probably that I coached two clubs that care a great deal about this competition,” he says when asked the secret to his European triumphs. “It’s no coincidence that both Milan and Real Madrid are among the most successful clubs in the history of this competition, and this competition represents the most important trophy for both clubs. I don’t know what kind of mark I have left.”