Carlo Ancelotti, awarded last season with the Johan Cruyff prize for the best coach in the world, confessed that "the worst mistake" of his career occurred during his first tenure at the helm of Real Madrid, when he "demanded a higher salary."

"It’s impossible to make only good decisions over thirty years. For example, I made a bad one here, in Madrid, after my first year. I was very close to extending my contract, the club wanted to keep me, but I pushed too hard on my salary and they stopped it. It was a mistake, the worst I could have made. But it allowed me to learn," he admitted to France Football.

In a detailed review of his career, 'Carletto' explained his coaching philosophy, aiming for his team "to play well and win," while dealing with pressure in every match. "My pulse is 120 before a match and during it drops to 85, 80. The anticipation beforehand is negative. I think a lot and pressure myself. I live in doubt. I try to show my players the utmost confidence but inside, I’m full of doubts," he shared.

Football has changed since Ancelotti started coaching in 1995, but his "character," he notes, has been key to his success. "I try to treat players and people I work with in the same way."

"I’m not obsessive. I’m not a sergeant. I'm quite calm but I have rules. The first one is respect. I want to be respected, just as I try to respect them. I try to build a good relationship with the person. I don’t only talk about football with the player. We talk about everything and nothing, about family, friends, food, politics. I consider the man before the player. With a personal relationship, you can achieve a bit more," he explained as one of his keys to success.

Humble, Ancelotti does not consider himself the best coach in the world nor believes he has invented anything new, attributing his achievements to the players. "I don’t think I’ve ever innovated in football. I've always tried to put the players in the best possible conditions so that they feel comfortable during a match. The players are the stars of the show."

"I don’t believe I’m the best coach of the last few years. I’ve won a lot, but there are coaches who have won even more than me. Ferguson, Guardiola, and before that Lobanovsky. And even if I thought I was the best coach of the last 30 years, what then? They wouldn’t make a statue of me."

Among the most special titles of his extensive career, Carlo holds dear his first Champions League win in 2003 with Milan and the tenth for Real Madrid in 2014, alongside the fourteenth in 2022. "At that time, everyone thought my career was in decline after my time at Everton and Napoli. It was very special."