Updated: May 25, 2015 9:21 pm
Despite winning La Decima a year ago, a trophy-less season has doomed Ancelotti’s Madrid career. Ancelotti did well by most standards, finishing third in La Liga a year ago while keeping the club’s title hopes alive almost to the end of the season.
They completed a double, lifting Copa del Rey before winning the Champions League to give Real Madrid their long-sought La Decima, or tenth Champions League title. This year, however, ended trophy-less. Madrid finished second in La Liga while falling out of the Champions League in the semifinal round and lost in the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey to crosstown rival Atletico Madrid.
Ancelotti had one year left on his contract, and seemingly had the support of the team’s fans, who cheered him before Madrid’s match Saturday, and star Cristiano Ronaldo, who sent a tweet in support of his manager following the game. After joining the team in June of 2013, Ancelotti led Real Madrid to the Champions League title in his first season at the helm.
This year, Real Madrid failed to capture any major titles. Ancelotti was let go despite overseeing a team-record 22 straight victories in his second season. Madrid finished two points behind Barcelona in La Liga, and lost in the Champions League semis to Juventus.
Most Real fans are unhappy with this decision but Perez is the owner and makes the decisions. Despite being a hot name for manager jobs such as the one at AC Milan, Ancelotti has already said he plans to take a year off to recover from back surgery.
