Topics: Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti, Juventus, Football, Serie A, Champions League
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has recalled the moment he tried to punish Zinedine Zidane while at Juventus but it backfired immediately.
Ancelotti has had a glittering managerial career since he began coaching in 1992 as the Italian assistant manager. Since then he has gone on to win the Champions League four times.
Despite being one of the greatest of all time, Ancelotti has a slight journeyman reputation, managing ten clubs in his career from AC Milan to Everton.
The Italian found himself in the Juventus hot seat from 1999-2001, where he managed his future assistant at Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane.
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In a recent interview via The Times, Ancelotti revealed the details of an altercation he had with the Frenchman when managing him at the Italian giants.
The 64-year-old explained that 'Zizou' was extremely late to the team bus to the extent Ancelotti wanted to leave him behind.
“There was a time at Juventus when Zidane was late, and we were on the bus waiting to go,” Ancelotti explained.
“I said to the driver, ‘No more, let’s leave,’ but he was scared and wouldn’t move, and then [Juventus defender] Paolo Montero came down the bus to speak to me."
Zidane was an icon at the Italian side following his move from Bordeaux in 1996, and it appears Ancelotti wasn't fully aware of how important Zidane was to his teammates.
Ancelotti continued: "I said to him, ‘Let’s get going, and then we’ll talk.’ But he said, ‘You don’t understand. Without Zizou, we’re going nowhere.’ So that’s when you think, ‘OK, I need to listen to this.’ So we waited."
Zidane made 151 league appearances for Juventus and scored 24 goals before his move to Real Madrid in 2001.
Juventus had won back-to-back Scudetto titles with Zidane prior to Ancelotti's appointment, so it's hardly a surprise his teammates were willing to disagree with the manager on this occasion.
