After becoming the club’s most decorated coach in history with 15 titles by beating Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press to admit, “I want to be honest. Winning titles at Real Madrid is easier than elsewhere: you have a fantastic club, a fan base that pushes and a squad with the best players in the world.”
Ancelotti on four titles in 2024
“It has been a fantastic year, and we have had different difficulties throughout the year, injuries… We have finished this year very well, to be honest, and this gives us the confidence we needed and the motivation to continue to have very good results in 2025.”
Ancelotti on what’s next
“We are starting to see players like Rodrygo or Camavinga. The squad is more complete, we have come out of a difficult moment. We are still not at our best level, but we can see something, especially that we are very dangerous in front of our opponents. We come out with the ball from the back to activate those in front of us, the team is very dangerous.”
Ancelotti on his ‘favourite’ title of the 15
“No, obviously not. It’s difficult to say, but the Decima was special for me and for Madrid. Also the Champions League victory in Paris. If I have to choose, it was these two.”
Ancelotti on returning to Real Madrid
“In the days before I never thought I could come back. I made that call just to see if I could find some players to sign. I threw it out like that and they fell for it!”
Ancelotti on whether this calms his nerves
“To remain honest, it’s true. The second part of the season I didn’t like the team and that’s why I was a bit more nervous. In 2025, I’ll be back to normal.”
Ancelotti on celebrations
“We haven’t had a chance to celebrate yet. We will rest during the flight and rest with the family.”
Ancelotti on the impact of the title on the season
“It’s important for us to stay alive until Christmas. There is one more match to prepare well. Since the defeat against Milan the team has grown a lot in attitude and commitment. I am very much alive.”
Ancelotti on coaching Real Madrid
“It’s an honour. Every coach who does this job has to coach Real Madrid one day. I think every coach wants to coach here because it’s the best club in the world.”
Ancelotti on Vinícius possibly taking an extended vacation
“He comes back to us. He goes on vacation on Sunday and comes back on the 30th like everyone else. We don’t have much time to prepare for the match against Valencia, but because of the wear and tear we’ve all had, we return to training on the 30th.”
Ancelotti on staying at the top for so long
“Because of the history we treasure, the tradition of the club and the quality of the players, we have to try to win all the competitions. We have had the luck, the commitment and the strength to win so many titles in 2024 and this fills us with confidence to keep trying in 2025.”
