Carlo Ancelotti confirms stay at Real Madrid

Despite a season that has been disappointing by Real Madrid standards, Coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that he will continue at the club next season and would like to see out his contract at the capital club.

Real Madrid won the Copa Del Rey but fell short of the UEFA Champions League after losing 5-1 on aggregate to Manchester City in the semi-final, while Barcelona claimed La Liga with four matches to spare.

Even before the concluding parts of the season, there have been talks about the future of Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu throughout the season. Now the Italian has stated his decision just before Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Mestalla to Valencia on Sunday.

“[Perez and I] spoke yesterday. We had a meeting, and he showed me his support. We talked about Wednesday’s game [against City], we talked about the season we’ve had and the two seasons that we’ve had. We move forward with the same desire to do things well. I think everyone knows my situation. I have a contract until June 30, 2024, and I want to see it out. Everyone knows that.” Ancelotti said.

The Los Blancos have secured UEFA Champions League football for next season but could still finish distance third behind Barcelona at the end of the season. Sunday’s loss to Valencia kept the team in third, one point behind Atletico Madrid on the table.

Real Madrid’s last three fixtures in La Liga include a home game to Rayo Vallecano midweek before an away trip to Sevilla next weekend and the final fixture at home to Athletic Club.

Meanwhile, Barcelona lost their first game since being confirmed champions of La Liga with their 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad on Saturday. Atletico Madrid beat Osasuna 3-0 on Sunday, while Valencia went five points clear of the drop with their win over Real Madrid.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu