Carlo Ancelotti was sacked as manager for giants Real Madrid on Sunday. Ancelotti’s future has been a source of speculation ever since fierce rivals Barcelona were confirmed as champions of La Liga. Also, the Italian was not able to secure a spot in the Champions League final this season. It does not take more to get the sack at one the biggest clubs in the world.
Ancelotti lead Real Madrid to the top of Europe last year, winning the Champions League for the first time in 12 years, and won the following Super Cup, as well as the Club World Championships, topping it off by going 22 straight games victorious. Despite all this, Ancelotti’s ultimate fall from grace came from not beeing able to bring the league championship to the Santiago Bernabeu this season.
Club president Florentino Perez would not emphasize exactly why the board decided to let Ancelotti go, but had these comments regarding the sacking; “My talk will be very short, but I want to say that today the board has decided to relieve Carlo Ancelotti of duties as Real Madrid coach,” Perez said at a news conference. “It has been a very difficult decision to make for the board. But we are not here to make easy decisions, but to make those which are best for an institution that is globally recognised.”
Perez made it clear, a decision on Ancelotti’s replacement, woild be made within the next week. Speculation has already begun with Jürgen Klopp and Rafa Benitez among the favourites for the job. Not many managers will have big enough credentials to even be considered for the job, so the list of relevant managers will not be long.
As for Ancelotti’s future, he has been heavily linked to a move back to AC Milan, where he achieved success both as a player and a manager. Ancelotti himself, has stated that he will firstly take at least one year off to recover from a planned back surgery, and to spend time with his family. No surprise considering the pressures endured as Real Madrid manager for the past two years.
