Carletto's League: Ancelloti becomes the only coach to reach the UCL 1/2 finals four decades in a row!

The first time this guy appeared in the dugout, we thought - the kids of the 90s that couldn't remember him from his playing days back in the 80s - that we'd already seen him during our family reunions. With those thick cheeks embellished with a recognizable smile, he looked like some uncle who enjoys more than a few glasses of wine even before dinner and makes those practical jokes we kids laugh listening to. But, you shouldn't make the same mistake we did, because our uncle Carletto is much, much more. Actually, he's anything but that naive drinker our aunt met while he was only a skinny shoe salesman with his charm as the only 'weapon' he's got.

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No, Carlo Ancelotti's appearance is just a mimicry he's been using for decades to relax his opponents and make them think a guy like him can not be considered a serious threat. And he's as severe as it gets when he starts chewing his gum by the sidelines amid the kickoff.

Not only he's one of the most prominent tacticians in modern football, but Ancelotti has been a state-of-the-art coach for decades. In fact, this last success of his - Real Madrid's elimination of Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final has made him a unique figure in the world of coaching. Carlo Ancelotti is - brace yourself - the only manager to lead his teams in the UCL semifinals for the four decades in a row! Wow!

Yes, Carletto made it in the 90s, 00s, 10s, and now, in the 20s.

His first significant achievement was with Juventus back in the 1998/99 season. Though he inherited the team from another Italian giant Marcelo Lippi in February 1999, Ancelotti defeated the Greek champion Olympiakos in the UCL 1/4 finals to reach the last four stage. However, it was the season of that Fergie's treble-winning Man Utd squad that Juve couldn't top despite 1-1 from the first leg played at Old Trafford.

Carletto's next stop was AC Milan, and that Ancelotti-Rossonerri connection ran flawlessly during the 00s. They won two UCL trophies (2003 and 2007), lost one final (the mythical one against Liverpool in 2005) and played another semifinal (in 2006).

When the next decade approached, Ancelotti went to Real Madrid, with whom he reached the UCL 1/2 finals in the 2014/15 season before being trumped by his former side, Juve.

ATL MADRID - MAN CITY

And finally, once again with the Royals, he's is back where he obviously belongs - among the very bests in the business. Not too bad for uncle Carletto, right?