Ancelotti Reveals His Dream Nine: The Real Madrid Legends Who Defined His Reign

Carlo Ancelotti declined to select a definitive best XI due to the incredible depth of talent he has coached throughout his illustrious career, choosing instead to showcase 28 exceptional players from one of football's most impressive managerial portfolios.

Despite his second tenure at Real Madrid ending without fanfare, Ancelotti stands as arguably one of football's finest coaches, potentially the greatest when considering his trophy collection. He remains the sole manager to claim victory in all of Europe's premier five leagues and holds the unique distinction of winning five Champions League titles.

What often gets overlooked is the remarkable roster of football legends he has guided over three decades.

Currently managing the Brazil national squad, the 66-year-old recently appeared on Gary Lineker's The Rest is Football podcast.

Rather than naming his ultimate starting eleven, Ancelotti chose to showcase the stellar names he has coached throughout his career.

Ancelotti Showcases 28 Elite Players From His Coaching Journey

The Italian tactician omitted forwards from his selection, but here's the complete overview of goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders:

Distinguished Goalkeepers Under Ancelotti's Guidance

Distinguished Defenders Under Ancelotti's Guidance

Distinguished Midfielders Under Ancelotti's Guidance

Team Distribution According to Ancelotti's Selection

This list doesn't even encompass forwards and stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Filippo Inzaghi, Vinicius Junior, Andriy Shevchenko, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Gareth Bale and numerous others.

Additionally, he omitted talents like Kaká, Cafu, Gianluca Zambrotta and Marcelo.

Ancelotti could confidently compare not only his trophy collection against fellow managers, but his roster of coached players might also match anyone in the game.