Carlo Ancelotti has been explaining why he took the decision to walk away from Paris Saint-Germain in 2013, with the Italian revealing that his trust was broken after being given a “win or you’re fired” ultimatum ahead of a Champions League game with Porto.
The Italian was taken to Parc des Princes in 2011 as he found himself out of work on the back of a stint in England at Chelsea that delivered a Premier League and FA Cup double in 2009-10.
He initially enjoyed working with Leonardo, who had played under him at AC Milan, but admits that he was left with little choice but to avoid any contract discussions once it became apparent that he did not boast unwavering support from those above him.
Why did Ancelotti leave PSG?
Ancelotti, who is currently back at Santiago Bernabeu for a second spell in charge of La Liga giants Real Madrid, guided PSG to Ligue 1 title glory in 2012-13.
He also saw them into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they only lost on away goals to Barcelona, but it was ahead of a group-stage game against Porto in December 2012 that he decided a long goodbye would be taken in.
Ancelotti told Movistar+ of his time in the French capital and why he opted to leave: “I went there thanks to [sporting director] Leonardo, who I managed as a player. It was a club that Qatar had recently bought. I really liked the project and there wasn’t a manager yet.
“We started to change the structure of training sessions, to put in a kitchen, etc. Because French players arrive half an hour before training and leave half an hour afterwards. I liked the project, but in the second year they weren’t so happy with me.
“For a Champions League match in which we were already through to the knockouts, we had lost a league game [to Nice 2-1] before winning [against Evian 4-0], and they told me that if I didn’t beat Porto, they would sack me.
“I told them, 'how can you say that to me, it breaks our trust'. I decided to leave in February, even if they wanted to renew me.”
Where has Ancelotti managed since PSG?
Ancelotti was appointed by Real Madrid for the first time on the back of his departure at PSG, with his debut campaign in the Spanish capital delivering a fabled ‘La Decima’ Champions League triumph.
He also won the Copa del Rey and FIFA Club World Cup while with the Blancos, but left in the summer of 2015.
After taking a year out, Ancelotti returned to coaching as Pep Guardiola’s successor at Bayern Munich in 2016 and won the Bundesliga title during his solitary season in Germany.
An 18-month spell at Napoli back in his native Italy followed, before spending a further year-and-half at Everton that led him to a retracing of his steps back to Madrid – with his Blancos squad currently in the hunt for further La Liga and Champions League crowns.