'It was the worst mistake I could have made' - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti makes honest admission

Carlo Ancelotti has revealed one of the main reasons why he was sacked from Real Madrid during his first stint at the club in 2015. Ancelotti led Madrid to La Decima, their 10th Champions League victory, in 2014, before being shown the exit door one year later after failing to win major silverware.

Ancelotti started his coaching career with Italian side Reggiana in 1995 and has won as many as 30 titles during his illustrious career as manager, with 14 of those 30 titles coming during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, famously helping Los Blancos to 'La Decima' in his debut season in 2013-14, before adding two more Champions Leagues and as many league titles since returning to the dugout in 2021.

Despite how positive the former Milan manager's stints at Madrid have been, there have been moments when things have not gone as planned and he has now revealed one of his greatest errors throughout his coaching career.

“It’s impossible to make only good decisions over thirty years,” Ancelotti explained to France Football.

“For example, I made a mistake here in Madrid after my first year. I was very close to extending my contract, and the club wanted to keep me, but I pushed too hard to increase my salary, and they backed off. It was a mistake, the worst I could have made, but it allowed me to learn.”

Real Madrid haven't had the best of starts to this campaign, losing two of their first four games in the Champions League group stage. They also find themselves six points adrift of Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table, albeit with a game in hand.

Ancelotti will be determined to use Madrid's recent 4-0 win over Osasuna as a springboard to turn the season around, starting first with a visit to Leganes on November 24, just after the international break. That game provides the former PSG manager to cut Barca's lead in the league to three points.