Carlo Ancelotti has made history by becoming the first manager to win the league title in Europe’s top five divisions after Real Madrid confirmed themselves as La Liga champions.
A 4-0 win over Espanyol over Saturday sealed La Liga glory for Real to ensure that Ancelotti has won the league in his first season back at the Bernabeu. A draw would have been good enough, but Rodrygo netted twice and Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema also got on the scoresheet to get the job done in style.
The Italian left Real back in 2015 after three years in charge in which he was unable to lead them to the title.
It’s the latest in a long line of trophies that he has lifted. Ancelotti won Serie A in 2004 when he was managing AC Milan and then sealed Premier League glory in 2010 as Chelsea boss. His time at PSG saw him win Ligue 1 in 2013, before leading Bayern Munich to the league title in 2017.
Ancelotti will be hoping there is even more success to come for him this season, with Champions League glory still a possibility.
“I’m very proud of this,” Ancelotti said. “I’ve had a very long season, but I’m still enjoying it.”
“Now I’m with Real Madrid, and to win with Real Madrid is very special.
“This is the first time for me to win a title at the (Santiago) Bernabeu, and the atmosphere here is special.”
It’s a 35th La Liga triumph for Real Madrid, with the players marking it after the match by throwing Ancelotti up in the air. He did not want the fun to stop.
“I told Marcelo that I wanted to keep going,” Ancelotti joked. “I was enjoying being up there in the air.”
Along with Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane, Ancelotti has won the European Cup or Champions League on three occasions as a manager, with two of those coming when it charge at AC Milan and the third in 2014 when Real lifted the trophy for a tenth time.
Champions League success this season would see him break that managerial record, though there is a tough task ahead.
Real have a one-goal deficit to overcome on Wednesday night, after losing 4-3 to Manchester City in the first leg, though the Spanish side have already knocked out PSG and Chelsea this season despite not being at their best.
