For some considerable time, Italy's best-known coaches were Giovanni Trapattoni, Marcello Lippi and Fabio Capello. In 2003, however, Carlo Ancelotti gatecrashed this exclusive club. Currently in charge of AC Milan, he is proving as quietly effective as he was in his playing days at the heart of the Rossoneri midfield. With the UEFA Champions League semi-final against PSV Eindhoven a few days away, FIFA.com takes a closer look at this exceptionally talented manager.

"I love the Emilia region where I was born. Its people are laid-back types whose motto is live and let live. They're realists, and these traits have definitely influenced my own character," Ancelotti notes.

The man's greatest quality is perhaps his humility. Just as when he was a player, he could not care less about being as elegant, charismatic or cool as his contemporaries. A tireless utility man, he would make himself equally available for hard-as-nails defender Franco Baresi as for hitman Marco van Basten up front. And while he may not have received his fair share of the plaudits within such a star-studded team, his low profile was more than made up for by two European Cups (1989, 90), two domestic titles (1988, 92), two Toyota Cups (1989, 90), plus a haul of 26 international caps.

In 1992, he decided to make the transition to coaching when he was offered a prestigious first post as assistant coach to Arrigo Sacchi, his former boss at Milan, who had become "technical commissioner" of the Squadra Azzurra. After three seasons' service and the penalty shootout heartbreak of the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final in the United States, he became a free man once more.

"I wanted to see if I could cut it on my own, handling players, clubs and supporters, to be the one in complete charge of a squad," was how he explained his departure.

A controlled ascent
To earn his coaching spurs, he thought nothing of going from the national team to unglamorous Reggina, whom he took up to Serie A within a season. He then spent two seasons with Parma (finishing 2nd then 6th), before taking over from Lippi at Juventus in February 1999. Despite two runners-up finishes and a successful overall record (50 wins, 21 draws and 11 defeats), he never quite won the hearts and minds of the Juve players, directors, and most notably the supporters.  

Still seeking his first title success as a coach, Ancelotti finally left Turin at the end of the 2001 season to make way for the returning Lippi. But it would not be long before the two men's paths crossed again, as in November 2001, Silvio Berlusconi headhunted Ancelotti to replace Fatih Terim, with a remit to put together a new squad at Milan.

In a few short months, with the help of his loyal friend Mauro Tassotti, Ancelotti succeeded in assembling a perfect mosaic of mercurial talents and hard grinders. Whether carefully controlling the unleashing of new phenomenon Kaka or reviving the careers of experienced defenders such as Cafu and Giuseppe Pancaro, he has showed the same deftness of touch. What is more, he has succeeded in transposing his burning desire to win upon his players.

Player support
Akin to his team's twelfth man, he has always backed his players to the hilt, especially at the most difficult moments, thereby forging strong relationships with them. As a result, the Rossoneri became a more close-knit group with every passing week, and in 2003, all his efforts paid dividends when they lifted the Champions League trophy, seeing off their Milanese neighbours and eternal rivals Inter in the semi finals and defeating none other than Lippi's Juventus in the final. Talk about slaying your demons with style!

But Ancelotti is nothing if not a perfectionist. "I'm not interested in victory at any price. We have to play well, first and foremost," has been his mantra, evoking memories of the brand of football served up by the untouchable 1990s Milan side in which he featured.

In 2004, Ancelotti delivered on his promise by winning the Scudetto with a team playing his own form of 'total football'. This season, "I want to do even better," declares an Ancelotti eying a Champions League Championship double.

With five match days remaining in the Campionato, Milan and Juve are neck and neck in the table. In Europe, meanwhile, Dutch masters PSV Eindhoven stand between the Rossoneri and the Champions League Final in Istanbul, with qualification for the FIFA Club World Championship TOYOTA Cup Japan 2005 at stake.

"In my view, the current team is a little bit stronger than that of 2003," Ancelotti advances. A typically humble message from this man who lets his talent do the talking.