Carlo Ancelotti had not been Everton manager for long when one of his new charges had a question for him. Had he, the player wondered, been a professional footballer himself? Ancelotti being Ancelotti, he was wryly amused at it.
Another man might have pointed out that he was a double European Cup winner, found at the heart of one of the most revered teams in the sport’s history. As Jose Mourinho, a manager who was never a player, said in a different context: “This is football heritage.” Another man may simply have wondered why the ignorant Everton footballer had simply not thought to google his new manager.
