Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti breaks Ferguson’s record of Champions League wins

Real Madrid’s 5-1 home thrashing of Celtic on Wednesday means that coach Carlo Ancelotti has moved ahead of legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager who has overseen the most wins in the history of the Champions League.

Los Blancos’ triumph over the Glasgow outfit was the 103rd time Ancelotti has tasted victory in the competition from the dugout, breaking the record set by Ferguson almost a decade ago, when his United team won away to Braga in November 2012. Ironically, the last Champions League game the Scot ever managed was against Madrid, who knocked the Red Devils out in the round of 16 just a few months later.

Carlo Ancelotti has won Champions League games with Real Madrid and seven other clubs

Ancelotti’s first victory in the competition as a manager came back in October 1997, when his Parma side defeated Galatasaray thanks to goals from Argentinians Nestor Sensini and Hernán Crespo. Since then, the Italian has led seven other clubs to wins in Champions League matches – Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli. In his 27-year managerial career, only two of the 10 clubs Ancelotti has managed have not appeared in the Champions League – Reggiana, his first club, and Everton, who he coached before his surprise return to Madrid in 2021.

The former Italy international had tied with Ferguson when Real Madrid defeated Shakhtar Donetsk at the Santiago Bernabéu on 5 October and was made to wait to break the record by his team’s draw against the Ukrainians in Warsaw and a defeat to RB Leipzig last week.

Carlo Ancelotti – the manager who has won the most Champions League trophies

Ancelotti is already the most decorated manager in European Cup/Champions League history, having won the trophy on four occasions. In addition to his two victories with Real Madrid (2013-14 and 2021-22), he has won the tournament twice with Milan (2002-03 and 2006-07). He also won the European Cup twice with the Rossoneri as a player in 1988-89 and 1989-90.

Liverpool’s Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane, Ancelotti’s former assistant at the Bernabéu, are next on the list with three, while a host of other managers, including Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho and Vicente del Bosque, have two titles.