Real Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City has often been described as an early final. But if you ask in Spain about the classic at European level, then it’s Bayern Munich against Real Madrid, like this Tuesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and on Amazon Prime Video). “These are the biggest clubs in Europe,” says Basque Javi Martínez, for example, in the sports newspaper “Marca”, who played for the Munich team from 2012 to 2021. “In Madrid Atlético, in Spain Barça, in Europe Bayern – these are the intimate rivals in the history of Real Madrid,” wrote Alfredo Relaño, the veteran Spanish sports journalist, in “El País” at the weekend. It’s a very special game for someone involved: Carlo Ancelotti sat on the bench as coach in the last six encounters, sometimes at Real Madrid, sometimes at Bayern.
In Madrid, they particularly fondly remember the 4-0 win at the Allianz Arena in the 2014 semi-finals, because they not only won against Bayern, but also against their coach Pep Guardiola, a red flag for them since his time at FC Barcelona fans. Ancelotti had his team defending high until Sergio Ramos’ first two goals. Bayern never found their usual short passing game. The Spaniards then retreated, but Ronaldo still scored two more goals. Real Madrid then conquered “la décima” in the penalty shootout of the final against Atlético.
Perhaps it was Ancelotti’s masterpiece, but nothing is worth less than past successes, and the following season Real president Florentino Pérez sacked the Italian after Gareth Bale complained about the coach. So Ancelotti came to Munich and was on the bench in the next meeting between the two clubs in the 2017 quarter-finals against Bayern. But that didn’t help the Munich team much. Madrid won 2-1 away and the second leg in extra time after a spectacular game 4-2. Five of the six goals in the two matches were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, while Ancelotti was also powerless. He then also criticized the referee – not wrongly, but there was no video evidence at the time.
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Although Karl-Heinz Rummenigge still agreed with Ancelotti at the time, Bayern fired the Italian a few months later. They had previously lost 3-0 in Paris. Ancelotti left Hummels, Ribéry and Robben on the bench and only substituted Robben in the final phase, when the game was already over. The Spanish newspapers these days are talking about the “clan of veterans” that the Italian had against him at the time. Robben complained that his then nine-year-old daughter trained more than the professionals under Ancelotti.
Just 15 months and just 60 games – the job at Bayern was the shortest tenure in the Italian’s coaching career. Nevertheless, you don’t hear any bitter words from him when he talks about Munich. “A club run by former professionals who know something about football,” he enthuses on Spanish television about his time in Munich. Naples and Everton followed, not what a football teacher like Ancelotti understands as world clubs. Despite his first experience at Real Madrid, he was thrilled and probably grateful when Florentino Pérez asked him again three years ago.
Ancelotti has rewarded him with seven more titles in this second term, including a Champions League victory and a championship. The team almost has another championship in their pockets. Although the squad is in a state of upheaval, with young players like Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Rodrygo and Vinicius and injured regulars like Alaba and Courtois, who will be back on the bench for the first time in Munich. The Italian doesn’t want to talk about revenge with Bayern – more about returning to a city for which he only has good words.
