Carlo Ancelotti delighted to become Real Madrid’s most successful manager

DOHA – Real Madrid’s Intercontinental Cup triumph on Dec 18 marked a remarkable milestone for Carlo Ancelotti, as the Italian became the manager with the most titles in the club’s history with a total of 15 trophies.

After his side breezed past Mexican club Pachuca 3-0 in a one-sided contest at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, he surpassed the late Miguel Munoz, whom he equalled in August by winning the European Super Cup against Atalanta.

“There are so many of them (titles) and I’m delighted, really happy... it’s a success story,” a smiling Ancelotti told Spanish television channel Telecinco.

“Today I really liked the attitude from the players. Up front, they made the difference. Vinicius Jr had a great game. Offensively we did well.

“We have a lot of quality. Kylian (Mbappe) had a good game, Rodrygo scored the second... We are very happy because we won a title far from home and in the middle of a busy season.”

The 65-year-old has one of the most impressive records in world football. When he was lured back to Real for a second spell in 2021, following the departure of club great Zinedine Zidane, he knew that his only mission was to increase Real’s trophy haul and he has not disappointed.

Ancelotti became the first manager to capture titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues – England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France – and has guided Real to two Champions League and La Liga doubles in three seasons.

His Real silverware consists of three Champions League titles, two Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, two Spanish League titles, two Spanish Cups, two Spanish Super Cups and, now, one Intercontinental Cup.

The latest victory was a fairly easy contest, as Mbappe opened the scoring in the 37th minute before Rodrygo doubled Real’s lead early in the second half. Vinicius sealed a comfortable win with a late penalty.

Mbappe returned to the line-up after missing the weekend’s 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano due to a hamstring injury suffered in the Champions League win at Atalanta last week.

He swept in from close range to break the deadlock after brilliant play from Vinicius, who won the Best Fifa Men’s Player of the Year award a day earlier after missing out on the Ballon d’Or to Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.

Former West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United forward Salomon Rondon led the attack for Concacaf Champions Cup winners Pachuca, but they never truly looked capable of an upset and Rodrygo’s fine curling strike put Real in total control.

It was allowed to stand after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor, even though England star Jude Bellingham was in an offside position and appeared to be interfering with the goalkeeper’s line of vision.

Vinicius added a third from the penalty spot six minutes from time, following another video assistant referee review, after Lucas Vazquez was chopped down in the Pachuca box.

“In this part of the season I was a bit anxious, but this will change in 2025 I’m sure,” added Ancelotti. “It’s important for us to get to Christmas alive.

“I think we’ve grown a lot and that gives us confidence for 2025.”

This was the first edition of the Fifa-backed Intercontinental Cup, which broadly maintains the previous format of the Club World Cup and features the six continental champions.

The latter is being expanded to 32 teams in 2025 and will now be played every four years. A past version of the Intercontinental Cup ran from 1960 to 2004 involving the champions of Europe and South America.

Real won that competition three times and then lifted the Club World Cup on a record five occasions.

They are due to face Pachuca again in their group at the June 14-July 13 Club World Cup in the United States, as well as an Al-Hilal team featuring Neymar, and Red Bull Salzburg.

Real host Sevilla in La Liga on Dec 22 in their final game of the year. REUTERS, AFP