Image from AFP

Aveek Chaudhuri, June 1, 2021

It’s official! Carlo Ancelotti is officially back at Real Madrid as manager for a second stint. Ancelotti is most well known by Real Madrid supporters as the man who brought home La Decima to Madrid after 12 years during the 2013-14 season. All together, Ancelotti won 4 trophies in his 2-year spell as manager. But now he is back, looking to win even more.

After Zinedine Zidane left a few days ago, there was much speculation about who would take over the now open position at Real Madrid. It seemed that Massimiliano Allegri, the former AC MIlan and Juventus manager, was the front-runner for the position. There were reports that Mauricio Pochettino also was an option. However, at the last moment, Allegri returned to his old club Juventus after the dismissal of Andrea Pirlo. And Pochettino seems to be connected with his old club Tottenham Hotspurs.

Antonio Conte was also one of the names up for the position after his exit at Inter Milan but at the end, Real Madrid elected to bring back a beloved manager, Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian walks into a club that recently finished second in La Liga, 2 points behind winners Atletico Madrid, and fresh off a Champions League semi-final finish. In addition, new signing David Alaba has officially joined from Bayern Munich, the defender being linked to the club all season.

Ancelotti clearly has a talented squad to work with. And with a manager of Ancelotti’s caliber, Real Madrid will surely be a force to be reckoned with this season. It remains to be seen how Ancelotti changes the squad and whether Madrid can return to the top of European football. Who knows, maybe Champions League win number 14 is in their future.