Ancelotti first coach to win title in Europe's top 5 leagues

Posted April 30, 2022 7:00 am

By TALES AZZONI

Real Madrid players lift Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti to celebrate the team's La Liga title after a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) The Associated Press

MADRID (AP) - Not long after being thrown into the air by his Real Madrid players, Carlo Ancelotti shed tears while speaking about his latest league triumph.

With Madrid clinching the Spanish league on Saturday, Ancelotti became the first coach to lift trophies in the top five European leagues.

'œI'm very proud of this,'ť he said. 'œI've had a very long season, but I'm still enjoying it.'ť

Ancelotti won with AC Milan in Italy, Chelsea in England, Paris Saint-Germain in France, and Bayern Munich in Germany.

'œNow I'm with Real Madrid, and to win with Real Madrid is very special,'ť he said. 'œThis is the first time for me to win a title at the (Santiago) BernabÃ©u, and the atmosphere here is special."

The 62-year-old Ancelotti first coached Madrid from 2013-15 but didn't win La Liga. But in that first tenure, Madrid won the Champions League, the Club World Cup, UEFA's Super Cup and the Copa del Rey.

Ancelotti won the Serie A in 2004, the English Premier League in 2010, the French league in 2013 and the Bundesliga in 2017.

He coached Napoli and Everton after Bayern, without reaching any significant success. He returned to Madrid in the beginning of last season.

'œI have to thank Real Madrid's president (Florentino Perez) to give me this opportunity to return,'ť Ancelotti said. 'œI wasn't expecting it at the time."

Madrid won its record-extending 35th Liga title with a 4-0 win over Espanyol, gaining an insurmountable lead with four rounds to go.

Ancelotti's only reason to complain on Saturday was Madrid's players stopped throwing him up in celebration too soon.

'œI told Marcelo that I wanted to keep going,'ť he said. 'œI was enjoying being up there in the air.'ť

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti during La Liga soccer match against Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.