Every Time Carlo Ancelotti Has Won The Champions League

Carlo Ancelotti secured his fifth Champions League title on June 1 2024, after his Real Madrid team saw off Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium. The Italian manager stands alone in terms of overall Champions League wins, ahead of the likes of Pep Guardiola, Zinedine Zidane, and Bob Paisley. He is also the only manager to win the competition multiple times for two different clubs. This includes two triumphs for AC Milan and three for Real Madrid.

The only time that Ancelotti has been unsuccessful in the Champions League final came back in 2005, when his Milan team lost on penalties to Liverpool after being 3-0 up at half-time. As he leads his Madrid side out in the 2024/2025 edition of European football’s biggest competition, here is a look at every time he has won it.

2003 – Juventus 0-0 Milan (Milan win 3-2 on penalties)

Ancelotti’s first Champions League final came in the 2002/03 season, when his Milan team faced fellow Italian side Juventus in the final. Milan had finished 11 points behind Juventus in Serie A and started the competition in the third qualifying round. After coming top of their group, which included Deportivo La Coruna, Lens, and Bayern Munich, Milan made it through to the second group stage, where they were put with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. After finishing top again, they beat Ajax in the quarter-finals, before being drawn against Inter Milan for a place in the final. An away goals victory after two legs against their city rivals secured their place in the final.

The final was played at Old Trafford in front of 68,000 people. It was largely unspectacular, with the two defences coming out on top for long periods of the game. As a result, the match was goalless and went to a penalty shootout. Three Juventus players missed their penalties, paving the way for Andriy Shevchenko to score the winning spot kick and secure Milan’s sixth Champions League triumph.

2007 – AC Milan 2-1 Liverpool

Two years after Milan had blown a 3-0 half-time lead against Liverpool and lost the Champions League final, they were facing the same opponents again. The match was held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, with 63,000 fans in attendance. Milan had to win a match in the third qualifying round again before they were drawn in a group with Lille, AEK Athens, and Anderlecht. After comfortably topping this group, they faced Celtic in the round of 16, who they scraped past 1-0 on aggregate after two legs. Ancelotti’s side then found a way past Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the quarter-final and semi-final, respectively, to qualify for their third Champions League final in five years.

After a tense opening 40 minutes, Fillippo Inzaghi opened the scoring just before the break after Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick had deflected off his shoulder. Liverpool complained that it was a handball, but the referee didn’t give it. The Italian striker scored his second in the 82nd minute after going around Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina and slotting the ball into the empty net. Dirk Kuyt halved the deficit with a minute to go, but Milan held on to secure Ancelotti’s second Champions League victory.

2014 – Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid

After cruising through a group with Galatsaray, Juventus, and Copenhagen, Real Madrid beat Schalke 04 9-2 on aggregate in the round of 16 to secure a quarter-final tie against Borussia Dortmund. Ancelotti’s team beat Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate before demolishing Bayern Munich in the semi-finals to secure a place in the final against their city rivals, Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone’s side had already won the La Liga title, and Real Madrid were keen on stopping them securing a historic double.

It looked like Atletico were well on their way to winning their first Champions League title after Diego Godin’s first-half goal. However, Sergio Ramos equalised in the 93rd minute of the match to deny Atletico and send the game to extra-time. Goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo, and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a comfortable win for Real in the end, meaning that Ancelotti picked up his third Champions League crown. After the match, the Italian manager was thrilled to secure another trophy on Europe’s biggest stage. He said:

2022 – Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid

Real Madrid came into this match as underdogs, as Liverpool had already won two out of three possible trophies coming into the final. Ancelotti’s team topped their group before miraculously beating Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester City in the knockout stages. All three games saw Real behind in the late stages, but they kept finding a way to fight back. Most notably, in the semi-final against Manchester City, they were 5-3 down on aggregate in the second leg, but two goals from Rodrygo in the 90th minute sent the game to extra-time. Karim Benzema then scored a penalty to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Liverpool came up against an unstoppable force in Thibaut Courtois in the final, who is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He made nine saves against Jurgen Klopp’s team, meaning that Vinicius Junior’s 59th minute goal at the backpost was enough to win the match. In a recent interview reflecting on his time at the Premier League club, Klopp said that Courtois had “12 hands” at the Stade de France. Madrid had won a record-extending 14th Champions League title, and Ancelotti became the first manager to win the competition four times. Real had conceded in every knockout stage match before the final, but Courtois’ heroics ensured that Liverpool were denied a seventh Champions League victory.

2024 – Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Real Madrid

Ancelotti came into the 2024 Champions League final with a chance to make history. A victory would secure Madrid’s first unbeaten campaign in the competition. They comfortably qualified from a group consisting of Napoli, Union Berlin, and Braga. In the knockout stages, they beat RB Leipzig, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich to make the final and were the big favourites going into the match at Wembley Stadium.

Borussia Dortmund dominated the first half, with Karim Adeyemi and Niclas Fullkrug both missing gilt-edge chances to open the scoring. They were able to punish Real and Ancelotti, though, which almost always proves to be fatal in this competition. Dani Carvajal scored a glancing header in the 74th minute, before Vinicius Junior put the icing on the cake with seven minutes to go. The Spanish giants have now won the Champions League 15 times and have recently confirmed that they have signed Kylian Mbappe. With the French forward at his disposal, Ancelotti will be hopeful of winning his sixth title in the 2024/2025 season.

Information gathered from Transfermarkt.