‘Would love to stay here for many years’: Ancelotti hints at continuing at Real Madrid

Ancelotti is in his second spell at the club, which began in 2021 when the Italian returned as Zinedine Zidane’s successor. His first spell with the Spanish giant was between 2013 and 2015.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have effectively gone unbeaten for a full league campaign, split between last season and the start of the current season, despite some in Spanish media criticising the club’s approach. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday he would love to stay at Real Madrid for a long time, ahead of his 300th game as the Galacticos head coach.

Madrid will host Alaves on Tuesday, with a hope to closing in on Barcelona, which sits atop the league table and leads Madrid by four points.

“I’m not thinking about my future whatsoever, I love this job,” Ancelotti said in a press conference on the eve of the Alaves match. “I have been lucky enough to coach great clubs, tomorrow it will be my 300th game at the best club in the world, it is something special to be in this dugout, to do it 300 times is not quite a miracle, but it is almost a miracle.

Ancelotti is in his second spell at the club, which began in 2021 when the Italian returned as Zinedine Zidane’s successor. His first spell with the Spanish giant was between 2013 and 2015.

“Sure, you can’t compare my tiredness with that of the players. There is pressure, responsibility, but I love it. At the moment I don’t see me having an expiry date, I’d love to stay here for many years to come,” he added.

Ancelotti signed a contract extension with the club last year, a deal that will see him at the side’s dugout till June 2026.

‘Many styles’ help Madrid maintain unbeaten streak

The last time Real Madrid lost a La Liga match was on September 24, 2023. The Galacticos were handed a 1-3 defeat by city-rivals Atletico Madrid. Since then, Real has been on a 38-game unbeaten streak in the league.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have effectively gone unbeaten for a full league campaign, split between last season and the start of the current season, despite some in Spanish media criticising the club’s approach.

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On Monday, coach Ancelotti attributed his side’s spotless run to his team’s “many styles” of play in the league.

“For me, I don’t think it’s like that, that we play badly,” Ancelotti said at a news conference. “What stands out the most is that Real Madrid, over these years, doesn’t have one single identity, (we) have done things well, defended well in a low block, had very quick transitions, managed possession well in some games.”

“Not having a clear identity makes some think that we don’t have a style. And that’s the truth, we don’t have a style, we have many styles,” the Italian added.

Barcelona holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in the Spanish top flight, going 43 games without defeat between April 2017 and May 2018 under Luis Enrique and mainly Ernesto Valverde.

Madrid hosts Alaves on Tuesday aiming to cut down the four-point gap on leaders Barca, in what will be Ancelotti’s 300th game at the helm across two spells in all competitions.