Ancelotti says Milan is ‘best club to study football’ and praises ‘special’ Maldini

Carlo Ancelotti has spoken about what AC Milan means to him as a club, while naming Paolo Maldini among the best players he has ever coached.

Ancelotti is the most successful manager in UEFA Champions League history, having won the trophy a record five times as a coach and also twice more as a player, so he knows all about winning at the highest level.

He won it with Milan as a player and as a manager, while the Italian is also the only manager to win league titles in all of Europe’s ‘top five’ leagues. Simply put, Don Carlo will go down as one of the best to ever do it.

Ancelotti gave an interview to France Football about his career as a coach, with his comments relayed by Football Italia, starting with his favourite memories.

“The first victory that comes to mind is that one, my first Champions League as a coach. Until then, I had finished second many times. Then I think of the 10th [Champions League] in 2014 and the 14th in 2022,” he said.

“It’s impossible to make only good decisions over thirty years. For example, I made a mistake here in Madrid after my first year.

“I was very close to extending my contract, and the club wanted to keep me, but I pushed too hard to increase my salary, and they backed off. It was a mistake, the worst I could have made, but it allowed me to learn.