MADRID, SPAIN – MAY 24: A banner in tribute to Real Madrid’s Head Coach, Carlo Ancelotti, is displayed by fans prior to the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on May 24, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Real Madrid are starting to realise how important Carlo Ancelotti was to the club, as it’s reported the Italian quashed the tension that erupted today in a brawl that sent players to the hospital.
The incident is all over the headlines in Spain and beyond, with multiple reports of a vicious training ground fight between Aurelien Tchaouameni and Federico Valverde.
The situation was so bad that it’s claimed Valverde was thrown into a table, where he hit his head and was knocked unconscious, taken to hospital for tests and stitches.
This was just 24 hours after the same two teammates reportedly clashed in training, with coach Alvaro Arbeloa seemingly unable or unwilling to intervene.
Ancelotti kept Real Madrid egos in check
Spanish paper AS point out that this is where Ancelotti’s influence at Real Madrid was sorely underestimated, as he had seen similar bubbling tension between players last season, but was able to keep it under control.
The Italian provided an authority and experience of dealing with big egos, still the only coach in history to have won all five major European League titles.
He had two different spells at Real Madrid, from 2013-15 and again from 2021 to 2025.
With the Merengues, Ancelotti won three Champions League trophies, two editions of LaLiga, three European Super Cups, three editions of the Club World Cup, two Copa del Reys and two Spanish Super Cups.
Only now that he has moved on to a new role with the Brazil national team can Real Madrid truly appreciate his man-management skills.
“It is a job with a lot of power and responsibility. I can choose what time I train, who I put in, but in the end, it is a relationship between people,” said Ancelotti.
“That is the most important aspect. Sometimes I ask the players, ‘who are you’ and they tell me ‘I am a player.’ And I tell them ‘no, you are a person who plays football.’
“I try to have a relationship with them on a personal level as well as a professional one, because that way you can get better performance from the professional. It is not easy because the player always wants to play. And 11 do it, but 15 go to watch the game.
“But if you manage to have a good personal relationship with them, this helps you to work better. You have to be honest with people.”
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