Carlo Ancelotti, a legendary record: Is he the best coach in Real Madrid's history?

Carlo Ancelotti has managed Real Madrid for six seasons, spread over two stages, during which he has become the most successful coach in the club's history, with 15 titles , and one of the longest-serving and most influential. Following the announcement of his departure at the end of this season, the debate is raging: Is he the best Real Madrid coach of all time?

Carletto arrived at the Bernabéu in the summer of 2013, succeeding José Mourinho . Thanks in part to the planned arrivals of Isco, Casemiro, Carvajal, and Gareth Bale, Real Madrid won La Décima and a Copa del Rey against Barça without Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also won the Club World Cup and the European Super Cup during the following campaign, but a disappointing end to the season and a loss of control in the dressing room led to his dismissal in May 2015 .

After a sabbatical year, he wandered around Europe, failing to settle in at Bayern Munich, Napoli, and Everton. The Italian, after successful spells prior to his Madrid commitment to Juve, Milan, and Chelsea, was once one of the most highly regarded coaches in the world, although his career already seemed to be coming to an end .

But the Madrid train came rolling again in the summer of 2021 , and Carletto didn't hesitate to jump on board. Four seasons later, with two La Liga titles, two Champions League titles, a Copa del Rey, and a string of Super Cups and World Cups, the Italian is now the manager with the most official titles in the club's history.

The competition for the white throne

Miguel Muñoz , Real Madrid's longest-serving manager, has always been one of the capital club's greatest legends. He took charge of the team in 1959/1960, less than two years after retiring as a player, and remained in charge for over thirteen years, during which time he won nine La Liga titles, two European Cups , two Copa del Generalísimo, and one Intercontinental Cup.

His replacement, Luis Molowny , lasted barely five months in the position initially, although he would return to the Real Madrid dugout three more times. In his four spells between 1974 and 1986 , he won three League titles, two Cups, one League Cup, and two UEFA Cups, serving as a backup during turbulent times.

After his final goodbye, Real Madrid signed Leo Beenhakker , a Dutchman who had played for Zaragoza and who eventually became the architect of the Quinta del Buitre . He won three consecutive La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, and two Super Cups before leaving for the Netherlands in 1989. Three years later, he briefly returned to the Bernabéu, with no titles to add to his trophy cabinet.

Two caretaker spells during the 1990s were enough to convince Vicente del Bosque to be appointed to the rightful leadership of Real Madrid just before the new millennium. Four years and seven titles later, including two La Liga titles and two Champions League titles, his contract was not renewed, much to the chagrin of the future Spanish coach who lifted the World Cup in 2010 .

Zinedine Zidane had only been in charge of Castilla for a year and a half when he was recalled to the first team following Rafa Benítez's dismissal in 2016. In just two and a half seasons, he won three consecutive Champions League titles, as well as a La Liga title, two European and Spanish Super Cups, and two World Cups. He left on a high in 2018 but returned at the end of the following campaign , winning another La Liga title and a Spanish Super Cup before finally saying goodbye in 2021, with 11 titles under his belt, not counting his time as Ancelotti's assistant after the Italian's first arrival in Madrid.