Carlo Ancelotti has been answering questions about his future for months. Typically, Real Madrid coaches do this with an easy-going smile and patient way. But his media appearances have been around for the past few weeks as his team’s season begins to collapse.
The Saturday press conference before Madrid's match against Celta Vigo is no exception. Ancelotti mentioned 13 questions. Eight of them are - directly or indirectly about his future, a subject he is determined to avoid. "I'm not angry, I'm calm," Ancelotti insisted, laughing, "I know exactly what I'm going to do, what I'm going to do and what I'm doing, it's not talking about my future. I know that it disappoints you (the media), but I don't care!"
Not long ago, Ancelotti always had the same pressure on his future: he signed a contract at Real Madrid until June 2026, where he intends to commemorate it. But things have changed. In Real Madrid, just like at any other club, the results determine the manager's future. But in Real Madrid, unlike any other club, the best thing is enough.
And Real Madrid is not the best this season. In Laliga, they entered Sunday's Classic Four points behind Barcelona's leader. However, the quality and performance between these two teams in 2024-25 does not reflect the quality and performance gap. Hansi Flick's Barcelona scored 91 goals in 34 league games - 2.68 goals per game - and delighted fans with an instantly recognizable, high-stakes, high-tempo football style. Meanwhile, Ancelotti's Madrid struggled to find any identity, the lineup was injured and the coach could not incorporate his players' affluent offensive ability into an effective unit.
Madrid's Classic The results so far this season are cruel: a 4-0 home defeat in Laliga on October 26, a 5-2 loss in Spanish Supercopa on January 12, and a 3-2 loss after adding overtime to the Copa del Rey final last month. These results often result in the Real Madrid manager being fired, without even mentioning the team's 5-1 overall elimination for Arsenal in the Champions League.
Yes, Madrid can still win Laliga. Beat Barcelona on Sunday at Montjuïc (Play live broadcast+ at 10:15 AM on ESPN+), the gap at the top will cut it into one point with three games left, and Madrid needs to slip again. But Ancelotti's fate - unless the legend's completely unexpected late twist, which surprises all parties - no matter what. As the man himself said on the weekend: "I have a lot of feelings for the club, for the players and for the fans. I respect them. So I will be talking about my future on May 25 (after the last game of the season) instead of talking about my future before."
That's what the club and the coach expect, and a season fails to meet expectations. Ancelotti's Madrid doesn't believe it all year round Classic This leads to outstanding performance and unstoppable Champions League phase. They lost to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool, asking them to beat Manchester City in the knockout playoffs to enter the 16th round.
But, last month, the wheels really started to stand out: recruiting four goals in Bernabéu, reaching the real society of Copa del Rey, losing 2-1 at home to relegated Valencia, then defeating Arsenal 3-0 in the United Arab Emirates, they probably won't get over it in the second sixth road. He was eliminated in Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and he won six of the last 11 versions, three of which were under Ancelotti.
The Copa del Rey final is a chance to save some pride. Madrid made progress but couldn't finish the job and lost in overtime. Now, they rely on the unlikely turnaround of Laliga.
There are some mitigation factors, especially Madrid's season injury crisis - defenders Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão were seriously missed. But even with that in mind, Ancelotti can’t unleash the potential of the team, and he knows that.
Madrid has no room for emotion. The club was famously fired Vicente del Bosque the day after winning Laliga in 2003. This season isn't good enough, which means Ancelotti will go.
This is a key question, for one simple reason: money. If Ancelotti is to resign (he has shown no sign of him so far), he will stay away from the last year of his contract, which is reportedly worth about €11 million per season. When you are Real Madrid manager, it makes more sense to wait for the sack, which is almost inevitable at some point and then gets your reward. Ancelotti's ex Zinedine Zidane is a unique character who is not under the usual pressure of managing his life - the only coach to quit in 2021.
However, given the mutual affection and respect between the parties, and in happier times, Madrid is reluctant to fire Ancelotti. The ideal situation is a common agreement on the terms of Ancelotti's departure, which will be approved by coach and club president Florentino Pérez. Sources told ESPN that the couple will meet in the last few days.
Because Real Madrid is still in the Laliga Championship classic On Sunday game. Ancelotti said last weekend: "We are thinking about now. We want to focus on fighting for the league. Some reports outside of Spain show that the coach left immediately after the Cup final, but it is always extremely unlikely.
The departure at the end of the season - after the final league game with Real Sociedad on the weekend of May 25 - although the news may be released a few days ago so that the club can prepare the right farewell for the legend. Madrid did see their last Lariga match as the end of the season, rather than the club World Cup remodeled this summer.
Ancelotti is not expected to be responsible for the tournament, not only because it will further complicate his next step: next month's FIFA World Cup qualifiers are in a timely manner.
Ancelotti has long been the first candidate for the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF), responsible for the men's national team. CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues publicly described Ancelotti as his "Plan A" in 2023. Ancelotti was keen on the idea at the time, but eventually extended his Madrid contract to 2026.
Rodrigues still wants Ancelotti, value his unrivalled experience with players like Vinícius Júnior, Militão and Rodrygo, management experience, and relationships that exist, although timing is a problem. The CBF fired previous coach Dorival Junior after a 4-1 loss to Argentina in March and needed to provide new coaches for the June World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay.
The Brazilian squad for these matches will be announced on May 26, just the day after the end of the Laliga season. This is the root cause of some back and forth reports, that Ancelotti is on the verge of work in Brazil or quit running. Sources told ESPN on May 1 that the CBF was reluctantly willing to wait for Ancelotti until it decided on Laliga’s title battle, but CBF national team director Rodrigo Caetano accelerated things on Tuesday and said they hope to name their new coach in the “Latest” by the end of next week.
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How does Trent take charge of Real Madrid with Alonso?
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss how Trent Alexander-Arnold is known as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti in Real Madrid (Xabi Alonso).
Short-term or long-term? Madrid's long-term choice is Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso, and it's been for many years. When there is a final question about Ancelotti's future in 2023, some may wonder whether Alonso is ready to take up his job at Madrid after just one year at the highest level. Now this is not a problem. Leverkusen's three years show that Alonso is absolutely ready, even if Madrid is still a significant step forward.
Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro made it clear last month that the Bundesliga club would not be on the road to Alonso if he wanted to join Madrid and said a decision must be made before the end of the season. But Madrid will fly to Florida to compete in the Club World Cup in mid-June, with little time (just a week or two) to allow Alonso to adapt to new challenges. The least preparedness for racing is not an ideal situation for a new coach.
This led the club to consider the interim appointment, while Alonso plans for 2025-26. Madrid's favorite is club football director Santiago Solari, who set foot on the hot ground like he did in difficult situations in 2018-19. Solari leads other alternatives such as Castilla coach Raul González and under-19 coach Álvaro Arbeloa, but faces his own complications, such as his lack of coaching staff.
Due to the shortcomings of both approaches, it is not clear whether Madrid will take a temporary route or whether to start early for Alonso.
Ancelotti's legacy in Madrid is safe - winning three Champions Leagues from the club, ensuring that. As time goes by, disappointment this season will not hide his reputation. All that remains is to manage his exit correctly.
He may not want to talk about his future, but - speaking at a press conference on Saturday - Italians are sure that when the time comes, there will be no last-minute collapse.
"Whatever happens, it will be a wonderful farewell," he said. "I will never fight this club. I've never been six years old and I will never. I won't even allow myself to argue with the club on my last day. Whenever it is, it will be beautiful."