The charismatic German strategist and the experienced Italian coach share the same passion, but their paths are very different
On May 24, 1992, a midfielder of extraordinary quality hung up his shoes. An ordeal of injuries forced him to reinvent himself to eventually become one of the mainstays of Arrigo Sacchi’s great Milan. Around the same time, a lanky striker transformed into right-back concluded his sophomore season with Mainz, the team to which he would devote most of a discreet career that, however, would serve to become the idol of a crowd that expressed his admiration for his dedication. Jürgen Klopp had ordinary talent as a footballer, but he had a privileged spirit. Carlo Ancelotti combined class and took to the field like few others. On Saturday they will compete against each other for the eleventh time in Paris from opposite benches, with an entire Champions League final as a majestic backdrop. His presence at the helm of Real Madrid and Liverpool in such a scenario demonstrates once again that it is possible to climb to the top from very different routes.
When Ancelotti chose Maestro Sacchi’s offer to move to Nazionale’s coaching staff, the Reggiolo man accepted a dazzling journey as an elite footballer who germinated in the ranks of Parma, made a huge leap with his time at Roma and reached represent its pinnacle of Milan.
As a ‘giallorossi’ he won a ‘Scudetto’ and won four Italian cups. A successful record to which he was on the cusp of adding the 1984 European Cup. The setting was unbeatable for the team led by Swede Nils Liedholm in a final held at the Rome Olympics. But up front was a formidable opponent: the Liverpool of Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Ian Rush and Bruce Grobbelaar. Goals from Phil Neal, for the British side, and Roberto Pruzzo, for the transalpine bloc, balanced a game that the ‘reds’ decided in their favor in the penalty shootout. Ancelotti, the mastermind of Roma, witnessed that duel from the hospital. A day later, he went under the knife to undergo surgery for his second serious knee injury in three years.
That worrying record didn’t stop Silvio Berlusconi from catching Carletto in 1987. The aim was to strengthen the engine room of a Milan that would change the paradigm of football based on Sacchi’s script and the enormous talent of the Maldini, Baresi, Donadoni, Rijkaard, Gullit, Van Basten and company. As a ‘rossonero’, Ancelotti would secure two ‘Scudettos’, an Italian Super Cup, two European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and two European Cups. Victim of that earthquake was Real Madrid of the Quinta del Buitre, who came away burnt from their visit to San Siro in the semi-final of the return leg: the hosts won 5-0. Ancelotti opened the bill in the 17th minute.
Twenty-five years after that night of unhappy memories for Real Madrid, Ancelotti repaired the damage by overseeing the attack on the ‘tenth’ in Lisbon. It was his third ‘orejona’ as coach, having put two at the helm of Milan: the first, he defeated Juventus in 2003 in the penalty shootout that resolved the decisive game at Old Trafford; the second, beating Liverpool in Athens in 2007 to avenge the ‘miracle of Istanbul’. Goals by Sergio Ramos, Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo against Atlético put Carletto on par with Bob Paisley. Years later, Zinedine Zidane would join the club of three-time champion coaches.
That triumphant career in shorts contrasts with Klopp’s humble journey. The German wasted sacrifice, but his quality was discreet. Mainz offered him the opportunity to grow as a player, but the Rhenish club struggled in youth and the feisty player who joined them in 1990 was never able to make the leap to the Bundesliga. He knew all the ins and outs of the entity by heart and in February 2001, shortly after his retirement, he was offered the position of coach. Mainz capsized in the second tier of German football. With no previous bench experience, Klopp was able to match permanence and move up to the Bundesliga three seasons later.
Klopp was at the helm of Mainz for seven seasons, until Borussia Dortmund knocked on his door in 2008. There he began to carve out his legend. Two Bundesliga, two German Super Cups and a domestic cup were the result of his time with the Auriamarillo team, which he catapulted to the 2013 Champions League final. Bayern left him with honey on his lips. Six years later, and having succumbed to Real Madrid the year before in another duel alongside the ‘orejona’, Klopp took away the stigma that had been placed on him by leading Liverpool to the continental throne after beating Tottenham at the Metropolitan . Now the Stuttgart player is chasing his second Champions League against the same rival who won the 2018 Kiev match. Instead of Zidane’s flower, this time he will have to fight Ancelotti’s eyebrow.
Source: La Verdad
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