Carlo Ancelotti has established himself as one of the greatest manager of the modern era, having won multiple trophies across several teams during his career.
Last season, he became the first manager in history to win each of the top five major leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1). He also won his fourth Champions League crown, having won the European Cup twice in his playing days.
Ancelotti has many admirers from across the footballing world, one of which is former Valencia head coach Jose Bordalas. The 58-year-old came up against the Italian twice last season, with Los Blancos winning on both occasions.
Now unemployed, Bordalas have been able to spend some time with Ancelotti at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training centre, where the Spaniard has been able to pick his brain. In an interview with Marca, Bordalas shared his experiences at Valdebabas.
“For me he is a phenomenon, not only as a coach but as a person. He opened the doors of Valdebebas to me, the most intimate thing a coach can do, as it’s his dressing room.
“I was with his coaching staff, and they were sharing very interesting things. What he is doing at Real Madrid will remain for history. He is an icon.”
Bordalas also compared his own coaching methods, that he used whilst in management, to those that Ancelotti has used at Real Madrid.
“There are very similar concepts, but in the end each coach has their own style and their own way of working. Each coach tries to make the team look like what he wants based on the players they have, what they interpret or what they want.
“The truth is that I really liked how Real Madrid works under Carlo Ancelotti and his coaching staff, and I took some very good notes of what they did. Real Madrid have some incredible players, and on top of that their coach manages them very well.”
Bordalas revealed that he is seeking a return to management, and has had offers from around the world. However, he has stated that he wants to manage in one of top five leagues in Europe.