Ancelotti praises Mbappé and expresses big regrets for Thierry Henry

Voted best coach of the year, Carlo Ancelotti spoke to France Football. Asked about the regrets he may have had with certain players, the Real Madrid coach did not fail to quote Thierry Henry: “At Juventus, I had Thierry Henry (in 1999). When he started his career, he played as a winger. And when he went to Arsenal, he became a formidable striker, with (Arsène) Wenger. And I didn't see him as a scorer. Another mistake was not signing (Roberto) Baggio when I was at Parma (1996-1998). And to have sold (Gianfranco) Zola to Chelsea when I was also at Parma. Pfff, a lot of mistakes… (He smiles.)” he confided.

Ancelotti did not see Henry as a scorer!

Then asked about Kylian Mbappé, the Italian does not consider him to have a big ego: “No. Absolutely not. He arrived here and immediately integrated well with the team, with his teammates, establishing good relationships with them. He arrived in perfect spirit” he said before concluding on the player who had the most impact on him: “Paolo Maldini. He was a special player for me. He had been my teammate, he became my captain. And he helped me a lot in Milan. We really had a strong relationship, fantastic. “Ibra”, of course, with his strong character, his big personality. Generally, the biggest players are the easiest to deal with. They may have a big ego but that can be their motivation. It's not a problem to have a big ego if you prove yourself on the pitch and have good behavior. Teammates will follow and help. Last season's team was the easiest to coach because egos were low in the locker room. Veterans Modric, Kroos, Carvajal, Nacho, have no ego. They served as examples to all those who saw them. From a relational point of view, it was great. No player complained about not playing. It was a dream.“

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