Carlo Ancelotti is on the verge of the sack at Real Madrid after a Champions League drubbing at the hands of Arsenal.
The North Londoners put Los Blancos to the sword with an excellent defensive display in the Santiago Bernabeu, winning 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate, without Ancelotti's side threatening much of a comeback from last week's shock defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
The 65-year-old – ranked at no.17 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest managers ever – will now be the subject of an intense post-mortem in Spain, as Real Madrid reflect on their first European quarter-final loss since 2020.
Carlo Ancelotti: 'It could be tomorrow that I'm sacked by Real Madrid'
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, Spanish football expert Graham Hunter explained last week that the scheduling and injury crisis that has ravaged the 15-time European champions has played a major factor in the club's below-par season, which has found them trailing Barcelona in La Liga, too.
“The fact is, their best players are having their athletic and creative juices squeezed out of them,” Hunter said. “It's with huge sadness for anybody who's got an appreciation of decency and talent in football, that we might be saying goodbye to Carlo Ancelotti.”
With Ancelotti now speaking publicly about the sack, the five-time European champion has appeared to reiterate his intention to retire from the dugout when the time comes for him to leave Madrid.
“It could be this year, next year when my contract runs out... there's no problem about it,” he said in the aftermath of the Arsenal defeat.
“But when I am done here, I will be grateful to this club. It could be tomorrow, in one year, or in 10 years, but I will be grateful to this club. And that's it. Full stop.”
Ancelotti's “full stop” comment affirms claims he made on while speaking on the Obi One Podcast, to his former player, ex-Chelsea lynchpin, John Obi Mikel, where he admitted, “this will be my last club” while talking about Real.
FourFourTwo understands that the Italian is still in the thinking of the Brazilian national team, who are long-term admirers – while Italy have been interested in his services, too.
The suggestion that he would step away from the game entirely would come a big surprise to fans, especially considering his current standing.
Ranked at no.2 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, Ancelotti could still be tempting for big European clubs to hire, with plenty of his former sides surely willing to offer him a return. Having managed almost solidly for the past 30 years, the draw of another chance at coaching would presumably be difficult for the former Juventus, Milan and Chelsea boss to turn down, with any potential retirement coming as a shock, should he announce it.
Ancelotti has managed 1,393 games with a win rate of 59.73 per cent – and is the only manager to have coached in all five of Europes' top five leagues.
