Ancelotti drops a bombshell on ignored orders, Mbappé, and Vinicius Jr | OneFootball

Carlo Ancelotti is the height of success. The trophy-holding coach with the most titles in Real Madrid history, having worked for Milan, Chelsea, PSG, and Bayern Munich, has won awards, shattered records, and earned a nearly untouchable reputation in the world of soccer. But behind the image of a charming, easygoing coach who is buddy buddies with players, there are stories that show that it has not always been easy working for him.

In a recent interview with PorettiCast, Ancelotti dissected the science of dealing with an ego-ridden locker room and revealed that he has had players who simply refused to listen to him. What's the key to this love-hate relationship between Carletto and his players? And more, the Italian used the interview as a springboard to talk about Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, and racism in European football. Let's break down this interview that revealed a lesser-known side of one of the all-time great coaches.

The untold side of riding the bench

If there is one thing that every player hates, it is sitting on the bench. Being left out of the starting eleven can mess with any athlete's head, and Ancelotti concedes as much. He even joked that he would love to be a fly on the wall to hear what players say when they get home from a game in which they did not play.

This shows a bitter reality. The pressure on players is not only on the pitch. Soccer is a team sport, but individuality does count. Being a starter or a substitute can determine contracts, sponsorships, a national team career, and, naturally, self-respect. Although Ancelotti is renowned as an excellent group manager, he has also experienced confrontation and disagreements with his players throughout his career.

Ancelotti and Vinicius Junior denounce racism

Carlo Ancelotti has always been Vinicius Junior's defender out in the open. In this interview, he reaffirmed: Vinicius is the recipient of a tremendous amount of racist abuse, but he is not isolated. The Italian named Nico Williams, from Athletic Bilbao and the Spain national team, as another such player who was insulted.

And Ancelotti goes further, he points out that the attacks against black players are not random. For him, their talent is a pretext for them to be attacked, but not a justification. The coach emphasizes that many things remain to be done.

This is not rhetoric. As racist attacks against Vinicius Junior increased in La Liga, Ancelotti has kept voicing his opinions. He understands that brilliance on the field is worthless if there is no respect off the field.

Mbappé is either natural talent or a result of relentless practice

One of the more enjoyable moments of the interview was when Ancelotti spoke about Mbappé. France's ace, playing at his best level at Real Madrid, was compared by the coach to a natural occurrence — one of those kinds of players who did not turn out to be world-class just because they trained but due to possessing something extraordinary within them.

To the Italian, Mbappé had not done this through training alone as he was a young man. Instead, "Mother Nature" gave him a gift. However, Ancelotti cannot dismiss the possibility that the Frenchman has done it through hard work and self-denial.

That's correct. Mbappé has more than mere technical ability and physical qualities. He sees the game differently, makes rapid choices, and seems to be a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch at all times.