Davide Ancelotti has been unveiled as Lille’s new head coach, and the 36-year-old made clear he carries one of football’s most famous surnames as a privilege rather than a burden.
With quotes via Il Napolista, Ancelotti held his presentation press conference after leaving his father Carlo’s Brazil staff to take the reins of a club that has qualified for next season’s Champions League.
“I’m here to write my own story. I’m very happy to be an Ancelotti, to have this surname,” he said. “I had the fortune of being able to learn from the best, and it’s not something I want to detach myself from. It’s not a weight for me. But I don’t want to make comparisons with my father. I don’t feel pressure over that.”
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The younger Ancelotti pushed back gently on the idea that he arrives short of pedigree, having served a long apprenticeship at the elite level before his first solo job in Brazil.
“It’s true I have a rather particular background, but I’ve worked in football for a long time. I started here, in this country, 14 years ago with PSG,” he said.
“Then I had my very long career as an assistant, but at clubs where there were big demands, a lot of pressure, where the standards were very high. I decided to go and try an experiment in South America to start, because I think it’s a very special environment for a coach, very difficult. I’m very happy I did it, because today I’m a better coach.”
And his father remains only a phone call away, a resource he intends to use. “Picking up the phone and calling him for advice, without even paying, I think is wonderful,” he smiled.
