Real Madrid fires coach Carlo Ancelotti

The Italian strategist was forced to resign after a trophyless season, despite having one year left on his contract.

Ancelotti is the ninth coach to be sacked in the past 12 years at Real.

President Florentino Perez personally announced this "not easy decision" at a press conference yesterday, May 25 (local time). He also confirmed that he will appoint a new coach next week.

Ancelotti was praised for helping Real complete the Decima dream (10th C1/Champions League title) that lasted more than a decade. But last season the Madrid team was empty-handed: eliminated by Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals, finishing second, two points behind arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga.

"What did Ancelotti do wrong? I don't know," Perez added. "The demands at Real Madrid are always very high. However, the affection the players and the fans have for Carlo is similar to what I have for him."

Ancelotti has been supported by many of his players to stay after rumors of being fired weeks ago. Cristiano Ronaldo called Carletto "a great coach and an incredible person. Hope to work with him in the new season". James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos... all had statements praising the Italian strategist and hoping he would not leave.

Despite the support from the players, the club's most powerful man remained firm after a failed season. "Ancelotti is now part of history, the one who won the Decima. It's time to find a new motivation. A motivation to help Real win more titles. Thank you Ancelotti for the past two years, for what you have done. I want to say that this will always be his home," President Perez affirmed at a press conference.

Ancelotti helps Real complete the Decima dream. Photo: AFP.

In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Ancelotti shared that he would take a year off if he was fired by Real. The 56-year-old strategist wants to have back surgery despite receiving many invitations from Italy, England and Germany.

Ancelotti is one of the few people to have won the European Cup as both a player and a manager. He has also won the Champions League three times, with AC Milan (2003, 2007) and Real (2014).

Current Napoli coach Rafael Benitez is seen as a leading candidate for the Bernabeu job. Benitez coached Real's youth team 20 years ago and is a native of the club. The former Liverpool boss was also very successful, winning the UEFA Cup (with Valencia) and the Champions League. However, since leaving Liverpool in 2010, Benitez's career has begun to decline. According to a recent survey by Marca, only seven percent of Real fans want Benitez at the Bernabeu.

Coach Jurgen Klopp, who just left Dortmund, is loved by the majority of Real fans.

According to VNE