Real Madrid’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Ancelotti says Alonso has ‘all doors open’ amid speculation ex-midfielder will succeed him at Madrid
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 鈥 Carlo Ancelotti says that Xabi Alonso has 鈥渁ll the doors open” for a move to a big club with speculation building that the former Real Madrid midfielder is set to replace the Italian coach at the helm of the Spanish powerhouse.
Real Madrid’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of the Spanish Copa del Rey final soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Estadio de La Cartuja stadium in Seville, Spain, Saturday, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 鈥 Carlo Ancelotti says that Xabi Alonso has 鈥渁ll the doors open” for a move to a big club with speculation building that the former Real Madrid midfielder is set to replace the Italian coach at the helm of the Spanish powerhouse.
Ancelotti gave his routine pre-game news conference Saturday, a day after Alonso announced he was . He praised the work of Alonso, who has been widely linked to an eventual move back to Madrid after leading the German club to the Bundesliga title last season.
鈥淚 read that Xavi is leaving Bayer Leverkusen, where he did a fantastic job,鈥 Ancelotti said. 鈥淗e has all the doors open because he has shown that he is one of the best coaches in the world.鈥
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Ancelotti again refused to speak about , especially ahead of Sunday鈥檚 at Barcelona in La Liga. Madrid trails Barcelona by four points and needs to win to keep alive its chances of winning a trophy this campaign.
But he did speak movingly about what Madrid means 鈥 and will mean 鈥 for the most successful manager in European soccer.
For Ancelotti, his relationship with the club he has spent six seasons at in two stints is an everlasting 鈥渉oneymoon.鈥
鈥淭he honeymoon with this club never ends, it continues forever,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think that Real Madrid, like Milan before, are the teams that stay with me given the time I have spent here. At the beginning there is passion, and when that fades other feelings emerge, a sense of tender care. My honeymoon with Real Madrid will last for as long as I live.鈥
The 65-year-old coach is under contract through the next campaign but is widely expected to leave after an underwhelming season in which the team played worse despite adding Kylian Mbapp茅 to its squad.
Brazil has been courting Ancelotti for over a year and it appears with the veteran manager.
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