Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti believes the current group of young players he has at his disposal in the Spanish capital is the best he’s ever worked with in his 32-year managerial career.
The Spanish giants have a compelling blend of experience and youth in their first-team squad, with a number of their younger stars grabbing the headlines most frequently this season.
At just 20 years old, Jude Bellingham has enjoyed a remarkable first campaign with the club since joining from Borussia Dortmund last summer, proving he is a player for the big time with 20 goals and 10 assists in all competitions from 32 appearances.
But he isn’t the only youngster with star quality. As well as the Englishman, Eduardo Camavinga is 21, while Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo are both 23.
Between them, the quartet have netted 53 times and been instrumental in helping Madrid open up an eight-point cushion over Barcelona at the top of La Liga, and secure their team’s place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they face Manchester City on Tuesday in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It’s little wonder, then, why Ancelotti, a manager who has worked with some of the biggest names in the history of the sport, rates them so highly.
Asked if this is the most exciting group of young players he has had at his disposal, he told TNT Sports: “Yes, I think so.
“In my career I’ve had a lot of young players but this group is really good in my opinion and it will be a great future for this club [and] for these players because they are really good.
“They have no experience but they have a lot of enthusiasm and we have a good connection between the veterans and the younger [players]. In the last two or three years, the connection from them was really good.”
The Italian will be relying on his side to be at their very best when they take on UEFA Champions League holders City.
It is a repeat of the 2022 and 2023 semi-finals, which were shared one apiece by the two clubs, but Ancelotti will be eager to make amends for last season’s 4-0 drubbing at the Etihad.
Each game is a “different story”, though, according to Ancelotti, and the 64-year-old has complete faith in his players.
“City is always a tough game but as the last two years we can compete, we want to compete,” Ancelotti added. “Of course we want to go through because this club, we love this competition and we want to arrive at the end.
“When we played in Manchester we were not in the game. Of course, we have worked to try an avoid this kind of situation that was not good for us.
“I think we had the time to prepare well for this game and I have a lot of confidence that the team can play to 100 per cent of our possibility.
“It is a difficult game, yes, maybe the most difficult game but we are going to play with a lot of confidence.”
The clash of titans will also bring up a significant milestone for Ancelotti, who will become the first manager to reach 200 games in Europe’s greatest club competition.
“I could feel old but I feel young,” he continued. “I started as a player, winning the Champions League; as a manager, winning [the Champions League].
“Two hundred games is a lot of games, and it is a really special competition for me.”
How to watch Real Madrid v Manchester City on TNT Sports and discovery+
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Real Madrid v Manchester City will be live on TNT Sports 2 with coverage from 19:00 UK time on Tuesday, April 9.