Ancelotti becomes The Only One
The Italian coach is the first coach in football history to win four Champions Leagues.
May 28, 2022, will be inscribed in gold letters in football history as the day Carlo Ancelotti won his fourth European Cup, becoming the first and only coach to reach this magical figure. A record that crowns the Italian as the best coach that the highest European competition has ever seen and that makes him ‘The Only One’ in his own right. Today Champions is written with the same nine letters as Ancelotti. They’re synonyms.
The victory against Liverpool, an old acquaintance of Ancelotti, adds to the one achieved eight years ago (2014) in Lisbon, also with Real Madrid against Atlético de Madrid (4-1 after extra time), the one won in Athens in 2007 with AC Milan against Liverpool (2-1) and the first of the marvelous series in 2003 when AC Milan knocked out Juventus on penalties at Old Trafford (0-0; 3-2). Four Champions with two different teams, which further reinforces the value of what Carlo Ancelotti has achieved this season.
Ancelotti, in this way, leaves behind the legendary Bob Paisley, who crowned Liverpool in 1977, 1978, and 1981; and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, who consecutively and taking over from Ancelotti won three Champions Leagues in a row with Real Madrid in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Now, the Italian coach can boast of being Mister Champions.
Another of the records set with this very final in Paris is that Carlo Ancelotti has become the coach with the most Champions League finals played: five (2003, 2007, 2014, and 2022). The Italian coach thus leaves behind his compatriot Marcello Lippi (Juventus 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2003), the Scotsman Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United 1999, 2008, 2009, and 2011), and the Spaniard and also a Real Madrid player Miguel Muñoz ( 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1969.
Lastly, it must be remembered that Ancelotti adds two more Champions Leagues as a player, which raises the figure to an outrageous six continental trophies. Always defending the AC Milan shirt, he beat Steaua Bucharest (4-0) in Barcelona and Benfica (1-0) in Vienna in 1989.
