In Spain, some sources claim that Ancelotti is spending his final weeks on the Real Madrid bench. Having managed Real in two spells, he is the most successful coach in the club’s history and still has a chance at a treble this season, though recent results have made it very difficult. A day before the second-leg match against Arsenal, where Real must overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg, he spoke with an Italian media outlet.

Rejecting Italy: “I turned down the Italian national team because I didn’t feel like it. I love being on the training ground every day and preparing for training sessions. The national team felt like a part-time job that took away some of my passion. That was the only reason.”

Return to Real Madrid: “Actually, I contacted them myself. The year before, I had contacted Real to see if they had any players to loan, and we got James Rodríguez at Everton. The next year, I heard they were looking for a coach, and in talks with them, I said they should find a good coach.”

Coaching at Everton: “Honestly, my dream was to coach Liverpool, but then I went to Everton and experienced the rivalry between the two teams up close. Now I’m completely an Everton fan. I loved the atmosphere there because there’s incredible passion for the team’s colors. Of course, you can also feel the pain Everton fans suffer because of Liverpool, a team that has shone in the Premier League for years and still does.”

Praise for Pippo Inzaghi: “He was a great talent because no one in Italy understood positioning and space like him. I think he scored over 300 goals, but I believe less than ten percent of his goals were scored with more than one touch.”

Champions League Finals: “In the 2003 final, I sent three defenders—Serginho, Kaladze, and Nesta—to take penalties because I couldn’t find anyone else. Of course, I had substituted Pirlo and Rui Costa, but finding five penalty-takers wasn’t easy. But in 2005, all the penalty-takers were good, except for Dudek—and with today’s rules, all the penalties would have had to be retaken.”