Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti joked that Everton fans will have forgiven him for leaving the club now that he secured a Champions League final victory over their bitter rivals Liverpool.
Los Blancos earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Reds in Paris last night to win the European Cup for the 14th time in their history, and it completes a superb season back at the Bernabeu for Ancelotti.
The Italian tactician also won the trophy in his first spell in charge back in 2013/14, but his stock had fallen a bit in the years since then as he ended up managing Everton in the 2019/20 season.
Toffees supporters will have been disappointed to lose him last year, but he suspects they’ll be feeling a bit better about it now…
Ancelotti: "Everton weren't happy when I left, but I'm sure they're happy now."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) May 28, 2022
“Everton weren’t happy when I left, but I’m sure they’re happy now,” Ancelotti said after the game, as quoted by the Independent’s Miguel Delaney in the tweet above.
Ancelotti is now the most successful manager in this competition’s history, lifting the trophy for the fourth time in his career as a coach.
The 62-year-old won it in 2002/03 and 2006/07 with AC Milan followed by 2013/14 and 2021/22 with Real Madrid.
After a difficult season that saw Everton struggle against relegation, their fans will surely be relieved their rivals Liverpool didn’t end the campaign as champions of Europe.