It was no surprise when Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain named their new coaches almost simultaneously on Tuesday. For weeks, the clubs were tied together over the fate of Carlo Ancelotti.
Ultimately, with a year to go on his contract at PSG, Ancelotti was successfully lured by Madrid.
At the same time, PSG filled the void left by Ancelotti by settling on laurent Blanc, who was last seen on a sideline leading France at the 2012 European Championship.
Both teams got the men they wanted, winners of titles as players and coaches.
Madrid got a coach with a little less ego than Jose Mourinho and a little more sensitivity, while PSG didn’t get its first, second or third choice, but a respected figure all the same.
After rebuffing Madrid for weeks, even before PSG clinched its first French league title in 19 years on May 12, the club gave in to Ancelotti’s desire to leave and Madrid’s deeper pockets.
Following Mourinho’s three tumultuous seasons, Ancelotti received a three-year contract and the immediate task of rebuilding trust in a dressing room riven by his predecessor. He will be presented at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday.
Ancelotti will also have to nail down his squad, with striker Gonzalo Higuain likely leaving and the club linked to attempts for Tottenham winger Gareth Bale after losing a complex bidding war for Neymar . Madrid hailed Ancelotti on Tuesday, saying he’d been “elected best coach in all leagues where he has coached: Italy, England and France.”