Carlo Ancelotti has held some of the top jobs in European football throughout his managerial career but the Italian has explained why he has not taken one of the biggest roles which many might have expected him to.
The 65-year-old is currently in his second spell in charge of Real Madrid, who face Arsenal tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The Gunners are leading 3-0 heading into the game following an extraordinary performance last week at the Emirates Stadium, with two free-kicks from Declan Rice and Mikel Merino's goal giving Mikel Arteta's side a big advantage.
Real will also be without Eduardo Camavinga for the return leg after he was sent off in stoppage time of last week's game.
Ancelotti's managerial career saw him manage Reggiana, Parma and Juventus in its early stages.
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But his coaching career really came to prominence at AC Milan where he won the Serie A title, two Champions League crowns and the FIFA Club World Cup at the San Siro.
Ancelotti won the Premier League and FA Cup during a spell in charge of Chelsea, as well as the Ligue 1 title at the helm of Paris Saint-Germain.
Across his two spells in the dugout at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ancelotti has won two La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns.
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But Ancelotti is yet to manage a national team at this stage of his career, with coaching his own country the natural choice for the Italian despite recent links to the Brazil job.
Gli Azzurri have the joint second-best record in terms of winning the World Cup with four titles, the most recent of which came in 2006, with only Brazil ahead of them with five World Cup victories and Germany on the same level as the Italians with a quartet of wins.
Italy also have two European Championship crowns, the most recent of which was won in 2021 with the victory over England at Euro 2020, which was delayed a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But Ancelotti has not taken charge of his nation because he feels managing a national team is more of a part-time job compared to the daily duties that club management requires.
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Speaking to RSI, Ancelotti gave a cold response on why he is yet to manage internationally, saying: "I said no because I didn’t feel like it.
"I really like being on the pitch daily to prepare training sessions, and the national team seemed like a part-time job that would make me lose a bit of my passion.
"That’s the only reason."
Topics: Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Italy
John McDougall