Today at 1:42 p.m.
Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid, looked serious this Monday at a press conference on the eve of the clash against AC Milan in the Champions League (9 p.m.). The Italian paid tribute to the many victims of the deadly floods which hit Valencia last week. He relegated football to the background even if he did not escape a few questions about the boycott of the Ballon d’Or ceremony by Real last Monday to protest against the non-attribution of the best player trophy to Vinicius . Ancelotti was rewarded with the trophy for best coach, which he relegated behind the Champions League won last June.
“I’m happy. The Ballon d’Or has already passed and we must congratulate all the winners. My Ballon d’Or was awarded to me on June 1 when we won the Champions League final.”
Ancelotti was revived in Real’s difficult week after the Clasico loss, the Ballon d’Or controversy and the Valencia tragedy. “It’s been a difficult week because it’s not a normal atmosphere but that has absolutely nothing to do with what happened with the Ballon d’Or. The Ballon d’Or has passed, congratulations to those who won prizes, but the sadness is not there, the environment is different because of what happened in Spain.
The Italian gave news of Vinicius. “Vini is normal like all of us. We all realize what is happening. We didn’t play the match because of that, and fortunately we didn’t play it and, unfortunately, we have more time to prepare for the match In these circumstances, Vinicius trained well, like all of us.
“I repeat, Vinicius is sad, like us, but not because he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or, but because he sees what is happening in Valencia.”
