CARLO ANCELOTTI has revealed that NOTHING in his managerial career has come close to having to work for Roman Abramovich.
Ancelotti is now in charge of guiding Brazil to next year’s World Cup after a stellar career in charge of clubs including Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid.
It means he has served under former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as well as PSG boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Madrid head honcho Florentino Perez.
But in his latest autobiography, “The Dream – Winning the Champions League”, the Italian, 66, the only man to have won the Champions League five times as a manager, revealed how Russian Abramovich was the “shadow” hanging over him throughout his two years at Stamford Bridge.
Ancelotti joined the Blues in 2009 and won the Double in his first season before being sacked 12 months later in a corridor at Goodison Park for only finishing as runners up to Manchester United and being eliminated by the Old Trafford side in the last eight of the Champions League.
But even in that first campaign – which saw Chelsea’s Euro dream shattered by former boss Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan – Ancelotti admitted he felt under the pump like at no other time in his career.
He said: “I knew my record would get me only so far
“Abramovich made clear he wanted me to win the Champions League with Chelsea and for Chelsea to carve out its identity on the pitch.
“But now I was working for a Russian oligarch who I suddenly understood expected everything to go well all the time.
“And if it didn’t, he wanted to know why. It was my job to supply the answers.”
Ancelotti recalled that he was just weeks into his role when the new reality dawned on him, after a surprise 3-1 defeat at Wigan in a game in which keeper Petr Cech was sent off.
He added: “This was when the first hint of a shadow fell across my time at the club.
“Abramovich was at the training ground the morning after demanding answers. What had gone wrong?
“I never had this level of surveillance from Berlusconi. He was a demanding owner and sometimes bought players I didn’t need and expected me to fit them into the side or argue about tactics.
“But for a lot of the time he was Prime Minister of Italy so there was no micromanagement. He had more important things to think about.”
Abramovich’s obsession with winning the Champions League, and the initial breakdown of his relationship with Mourinho, sacked in 2007, also fuelled the pressure, especially after Inter’s two-legged win in his first season.
Ancelotti said: “The next day Abramovich didn’t talk just to me but to the whole squad.
Roman’s Chelsea mangers
Here is a look at all the manager’s hired and fired by Roman Abramovich during his ownership of Chelsea.
- Claudio Ranieri, 2000–2004
- Jose Mourinho, 2004–2007 and 2013–2015
- Avram Grant, 2007–2008
- Luiz Felipe Scolari, 2008–2009
- Guus Hiddink, 2009 and 2015-2016
- Carlo Ancelotti, 2009-2011
- Andre Villas-Boas, 2011-2012
- Roberto Di Matteo, 2012
- Rafa Benitez, 2012-2013
- Antonio Conte, 2016-2018
- Maurizio Sarri, 2018-2019
- Frank Lampard, 2019-2021
- Thomas Tuchel, 2021-2022
“My problem was that Mourinho’s triumph was not great for my relationship with Abramovich.
“I was supposed to be the antidote to Mourinho – calm, measured and able to revive the squad after the drama.
“According to Abramovich, Mourinho was supposed to be a spent force.
“Allowing him to disrupt the script. I had embarrassed the owner.”
While the Double triumph was celebrated in 2010, with Ancelotti talking of a ten-year reign, he knew it was “conditional on maintaining a good relationship with the owner”.
But a summer transfer window that saw Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Deco all leave put Chelsea on the back foot for their title defence and saw Abramovich on the warpath in January 2011 after a Fernando Torres-inflicted defeat by Liverpool.
That week saw Abramovich sack Ancelotti’s No 2 Ray Wilkins “without consulting me first”, with his squad reacting adversely, dropping to fifth before the £50million winter deadline day swoop to land Torres.
Ancelotti writes: “Success or failure in Europe is how I would be measured by Abramovich – and the Champions League cost me my job.“
United sent Chelsea spinning out in the last eight – in a game where Ancelotti hooked his owner’s new plaything at half-time.
He said: “The night before the second leg, Abramovich warned the squad that if they didn’t win there would be changes.
“He then told me that if we lost, I should not bother coming back in the next day.
“Torres was clearly suffering from a lack of confidence and felt the weight of his transfer fee hanging round his neck.
“In the dressing room Abramovich made it very clear what this defeat meant.
“What happened next was inevitable.
“Torres was his personal decision and substituting him was a direct rebuke to the owner.
“Momentarily, I had forgotten that, ultimately, you can’t beat the owner.”
The axe fell minutes after the final day defeat at Everton in 2011, with chief executive Ron Gourlay delivering the news in a corridor after Ancelotti had already told the assembled media he anticipated it happening.
While Abramovich did not say anything directly to Ancelotti, his players rallied round, with Ashley Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba taking him out for an “unforgettable” farewell dinner when they returned to London.
Remarkably, the Italian suggested: “Perhaps Abramovich was right to let me go.
“The following season Chelsea finally gave him the Champions League – although he did fire my successor six months after he got his hands on the trophy.
“As for me, I remember every day that I was at Chelsea as a good day.”
Bellingham’s special praise
Jude Bellingham says Ancelotti is a “special” manager and proved it in the biggest game of the England star’s career.
Bellingham’s first season at Real Madrid saw him swagger as the Bernabeu side reached the Champions League final against Dortmund at Wembley in 2024.
Real were second best in a goalless first half but Bellingham, 22, recalled how Ancelotti’s words transformed the night.
He said: “That half time summed up what makes Carlo special. He’ll never say anything that feels like a cliche, just give you exactly what the game needs.
“It’s not motivational. It’s informational, really concise and tells you exactly what you need.
“Some modern coaches feel they’ve got to do more. They almost want to be puppet masters.
“Carlo just keeps it simple. That is key.”
”The Dream – Winning the Champions League” by Carlo Ancelotti is published September 25, 2025. RRP £22.00.
Inside Ancelotti’s trophy cabinet
Carlo Ancelotti has won a stunning amount of honours during his playing and managerial career…
Playing career:
Roma
- Serie A x1
- Coppa Italia x4
AC Milan
- Serie A x2
- Supercoppa Italiana x1
- European Cup x2
- European Super Cup x1
- Intercontinental Cup x1
Managerial career:
Juventus
AC Milan
- Serie A x1
- Coppa Italia x1
- Supercoppa Italiana x1
- Champions League x2
- Super Cup x2
- Club World Cup x1
Chelsea
- Premier League x1
- FA Cup x1
- Community Shield x1
Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid
- LaLiga x2
- Copa del Rey x2
- Supercopa de Espana x2
- Champions League x3
- Super Cup x3
- Club World Cup x2
- Intercontinental Cup x1
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga x1
- DFL-Supercup x1
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