“They thought I was old” – Manager said he went ‘off the radar’ at Everton but better things were ahead

Like the rest of us, it appears Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti can’t really believe that he ended up at Everton.

That’s if his latest comments, relayed by La Voz de Galicia, are anything to go by, with the Italian joking that everyone thought he was over the hill once he moved to Goodison Park.

Ancelotti joined Everton in 2019 after a somewhat disappointing spell in charge of Napoli that had ended in a major falling out with players and revolt from pretty much every corner.

That had followed a similarly disappointing spell in charge of Bayern Munich, where things had simply not worked out for the Italian despite his successes at Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea and PSG previously.

The move to Goodison Park came as something of a shock at the time, with the Blues putting their money where their mouth was to secure Ancelotti to lead the bold, bright future Farhad Moshiri had dreamed up.

That never came to fruition as Ancelotti would spend less than two years in the job, eventually electing to leave for Real Madrid in July 2021 when they were on the hunt for their new manager.

They’ve enjoyed great success under Ancelotti once again, winning two league titles, two Champions Leagues and various other trophies.

It’s very much been a second coming for the Italian, who has revived his own career but also Real Madrid after a disappointing few years for them following the success under Zinedine Zidane.

Everton are firmly in the rearview mirror, and it seems even the Italian struggles to accept that he was once there.

“Real is Real, what could be better? Here there is a respect for history, all the footballers of the past are present in the photographs of the Ciudad Deportiva,” he said.

“I maintain the passion, this is how I live the game, my work, I have always carried this balance with me.

“I have overcome moments that are not always positive, after my experience with Everton I was off the radar, they thought I was old. In Naples the same thing.”