On Saturday evening, Real Madrid are set to face off against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.
With European football’s greatest prize at stake, this clash is expected to be a feisty affair. However, prior to kick-off, respect and admiration have been evident in abundance, with Dortmund’s head coach Edin Terzić praising his counterpart Carlo Ancelotti:
“I have the greatest respect for him. He didn’t do it with one team, but with different teams from different countries and different cultures. He wasn’t just a successful coach for a few years, but for over two decades. He simply has to be a role model for every young coach.”
Having begun his coaching career in 1995 with Reggiana, it took Ancelotti just eight years to reach his first Champions League final with AC Milan in 2003. Overcoming his former side Juventus on penalties, the Italian etched his name into managerial folklore.
Regardless, this would just be the beginning, as another Champions League trophy was lifted in 2007 with the Rossoneri. Spells at Chelsea and PSG failed to herald the same kind of success he experienced in Milan, but in Madrid, the Italian has found a home away from home.
In two separate spells with Los Blancos, Ancelotti has recorded two Champions League triumphs, and on Saturday evening he will look to make it a third. Nevertheless, the 64-year-old also stated that he hopes it will not be his last chance to win the famous trophy.
“When you reach a final, success and failure are so close together that you are naturally worried that it might not work out. This is not my first time. But I also hope that this is not my last time.”
While the experience of Ancelotti and Real Madrid at this stage of the tournament will make them undoubted favourites, BvB have shown time and time again that they can frustrate their more superior opponents. This final is detained to reflect a game of chess, but the question is, who will make the first move?
GGFN | Will Shopland
