Carlo Ancelotti admits he had the chance to become Italy coach in 2018, ‘but I like daily work…’
The Italian tactician will take charge of Real Madrid tonight in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Chelsea. The Merengues beat the Blues 3-1 in the first leg in London last week.
Ancelotti has spoken about the mistake his players can’t commit tonight, but also revealed that he was close to becoming Italy coach in 2018 after Gian Piero Ventura was sacked.
“Sometimes, I thought about training a national team. I had a chance with Italy in 2018, but I have to be honest, I like to work day by day,” he said at a press conference on Monday.
“I don’t only like games. A former boss of mine used to say that working as a coach is the best in the world, if it wasn’t for games.
“This is not the reality because games give you joy and the chance to be on the bench during a Champions League quarter-final. This doesn’t happen every time.
“But I like daily work and until that changes, I am not going to coach a national team because I don’t like to coach three times per year. The 1994 World Cup was an incredible experience, spectacular, but when I am tired of working every day, I’ll stop.”
Bayern Munich had sacked Ancelotti in September 2017 following a 3-0 loss against PSG in the Champions League group stage and a difficult start to the season in the Bundesliga.
He was one of the leading candidates to replace Ventura after Italy failed to qualify for Russia 2018. The FIGC eventually hired Roberto Mancini while Ancelotti signed with Napoli in May 2018. The 62-year-old holds the record for the most Champions Leagues won as a coach: three, as many as Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane.