Carlo Ancelotti recently sat down for an interview and reaffirmed a claim made by Wayne Rooney about one of Chelsea’s best.
The Brazil coach is preparing for a friendly in London on Thursday, and took the time to speak with Gary Lineker about his storied career at the top of European football.
Ancelotti was asked about the best players he has coached, and his response goes some way to backing up a claim Rooney made about a Chelsea all-time great.
He had John Terry as the best Champions League defender of all time, and Ancelotti’s comments suggest he feels the same way.
John Terry gets a special mention from Carlo Ancelotti
Ancelotti’s affinity for the Blues hasn’t faded in the 14 years since his departure.
He keeps himself informed on how things are going at Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti has given Maresca his backing at Chelsea and his fellow countryman has repaid the favour.
Maresca said Ancelotti is a fantastic manager.
Lineker asks Ancelotti about the best players he has coached. The Italian has spent time at AC Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG, but his short stint at Chelsea clearly sticks in his memory.
He starts off with the former Blues captain when listing his favourite defenders, saying: “I have my heart for John Terry. He was so good.
“I had Alex Carvalho. I had Jap Stam, Paolo Maldini, [Alessandro] Nesta, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, [Raphael] Varane. Unbelievable.”
All absolute legends of the game, but Don Carlo holds a special place in his heart for JT.
Chelsea midfielders also get a mention from Ancelotti
Lineker then asks Ancelotti to repeat the exercise with midfielders, where more all-time greats come up. This time, he doesn’t start off with his former Blues, but you couldn’t really blame him given the players mentioned.
He says: “Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro.”
It’s hard to argue with names like those. Then, Chelsea’s midfield greats get a mention: “[Frank] Lampard, [Michael] Ballack, and [Michael] Essien at Chelsea.”
He goes on to list a few Serie A icons to round out his list, driving home the fact that he has one of the most star-studded resumes in the history of the sport.
Ancelotti’s time at Chelsea was brief, spanning just two seasons, but he won a domestic double and had the third-highest win percentage ever in the Premier League at that time.
And it seems the players left a lasting impact on him too.
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