In the summer of 2021, after calls from Florentino Pérez and José Ángel Sánchez to test him about his return to Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti had decided with whom his first work meeting was going to be.. There were no doubts, because his previous experience in Valdebebas had left some gaps that now, more than five years later, he was not willing to repeat.. The Italian coach took his cell phone and scheduled a talk in person in Italy with Antonio Pintus, sergeant of the white team's physical preparation, key man for Zidane in the three consecutive Champions League and Florentino's galactic signing that same summer. I wanted to outline with him the new way of being of the coaching staff and the team.

That first call from Pérez “changed everything,” they say, for Ancelotti who was navigating in the middle of the Premier table with Everton, away from the big spotlight.. At that time, the coach took over at the Bernabéu and also assumed the Madrid idiosyncrasy.. He returned with the experience of the first time, with the good and the bad. And he learned from it to better prepare himself and his staff.. He knew that things were going to be different in every way, that Madrid's structure was different, that the physical preparation was Pintus's and that football, and he himself, had changed.

There began his “recycling” and the reconstruction of his family, a coaching staff capable of leaving behind the rumors and controversies of the first era, competent to learn everything about “modern football” that now elevates Madrid in the League and Champions and It allows him to overcome the adversities of injuries, and as familiar as he is prepared to manage a locker room without egos.

The success of Ancelotti's second landing has not been coincidence or luck. The Champions and the League of 2022, the Cup of 2023, the Super Cups, the continental semifinals of last year…. Carletto's Madrid has accumulated two and a half seasons of pure competitive elite and beyond the sporting planning, with extraordinary signings such as Bellingham, Camavinga or Rüdiger, the credit must also go to the bench. Ancelotti has been able to win in the midst of a reconstruction, to promote young people while firing (and firing) veterans, and to adapt to the needs of a club whose transfer plan does not change due to specific departures or injuries.. “There are no complaints or excuses,” he insists.

From Vecchi and Mauri to Davide and Francesco

“He is a much more intelligent Ancelotti, more energetic in the necessary points and who wears out much less than before in specialist departments,” explain those who live the day-to-day life of the coaching staff.. And if in 2013 his great assistants were the veterans Villiam Vecchi, goalkeeping coach, and Giovanni Mauri, physical coach, now they are Davide, his son, and Francesco, Giovanni's son.. The shadow of nepotism appeared during the early stages of the careers of both young people, more than a decade ago, but time, the good relationship with the footballers and especially the successes have proven right to “recycling”, as they call it in Valdebebas , from the Ancelotti family.

Madrid has also helped this, which has freed the Italian from physical and goalkeeping training and handed it over to “sergeant” Pintus and Lluis Llopis.. That is, Ancelotti's main assistants are solely and exclusively for tactical and technical matters.. In 2015, much of the friction came from what preparation was like.. And now the assistants are young, “two football sufferers”. Davide, 34, assistant coach, and Francesco, 35, technical analyst. They have grown up together, one is Carlo's son and the other as if he were. They act as counterpoints to the technician and have “a very important weight”. They see everything, players, leagues, new tactics…. And they summarize it to Carletto, who assumes a managerial role. By age, his connection with the squad is much stronger than the previous ones.

A locker room without egos

A young and “permeable” dressing room helps a lot, they admit in Valdebebas. A group that allows itself to be advised and that no longer responds to the leadership of yesteryear. Kroos and Modric, leaders due to competitive inertia, share tactical concerns and are the first to “let themselves be trained”. The staff, which includes the readapter García Parrales, maintains an Italian core completed by Beniamino Fulco (former nutritionist in the first stage and now an analyst) and Simone Montanaro (former from Sevilla who joined Ancelotti in Naples), in addition to various assistants in which there is a majority of Spaniards and transalpines. And on the roof of the pyramid, Ancelotti. Recycled and evolved manager, but with the usual double character. “He seems calm and lazy, but he's still the one in charge,” they admit at the club, where they have attended a session in which the Italian sent his players to the shower because he didn't like what he saw.. “When he pushes…” those who know him joke.

The rumor of Brazil and the offers to Davide

That family experienced some strange moments this season when Ancelotti was observing all the rumors about Brazil, his contract was not renewed and Davide was beginning to receive offers from abroad to become head coach.. The father knows that the son will make a career out of this and that he will take Mauri with him, but it will not be soon after Carletto's renewal as Madrid coach.

Carlo, Davide and Francesco are part of the daily meeting that takes place every morning in Valdebebas (or at the hotel on duty). Before or after training, the coaching staff gets together to discuss tactics, contrast opinions and, like good Latins, argue from time to time, even about things that have nothing to do with Madrid and do have to do with the future of football.. They have well-defined roles, both at work and personal levels.. Some are more shy, others, like Mauri, are hotter.. At the Bernabéu you sometimes see him running out of the bench to shout at a player. It's in his blood.

“Davide and Francesco are very much to blame for Ancelotti's evolution,” explain voices close to the locker room.. The coach does not watch 20 videos like before, but he triumphs due to the impetus of his young people, on and off the field. They are Carletto's men.

Just a few days before Valentine’s Day, love was in the air at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Cupid’s arrows seemed to have hit the players and coaching staff of Real Madrid, as they expressed their affection and admiration for one another after an important victory. It was Carlo Ancelotti who couldn’t contain his excitement, admitting in the press room that their recent triumph had dealt a strong blow to their competition in the league. He even went as far as declaring Vinicius Júnior as the best player in the world at the moment.

Vinicius Júnior himself had a spectacular performance in the game, scoring a brilliant goal and providing key assists for his teammates. However, instead of basking in the praise, he humbly redirected the attention to his teammate, Bellingham, whom he believed was the standout player of the season. This sense of unity and selflessness within the team was further emphasized by Vinicius, stating that they were more united than ever, like a family.

Ancelotti, their revered leader, echoed this sentiment and emphasized the absence of egos within the team. He even playfully mentioned that if Vinicius was the best player, then Bellingham would be second, followed by other talented players like Rodrygo, Kroos, Valverde, and Camavinga. The Italian coach, unable to contain his affection, highlighted the harmony and camaraderie that existed within the squad.

Their resounding 4-0 victory over Girona was attributed by Ancelotti to their collective humility and defensive commitment. With several key defenders out due to injury, the team stepped up and performed exceptionally well. Ancelotti expressed his pride in their ability to overcome adversity and praised their quality and determination.

However, the team received some unfortunate news about Rüdiger’s injury, which would sideline him for a couple of weeks. Despite this setback, Ancelotti remained optimistic and announced Nacho’s return for their upcoming game against Leipzig. The coach also explained his decision to reconvert Carvajal and Tchouaméni into center backs, citing the lack of available options from the youth squad and the need for tactical understanding.

The victory was not without its downside, as Bellingham suffered a sprained ankle and had to leave the field early. The extent of his injury was yet to be determined, but there were concerns about his availability for the next game. Ancelotti, while jokingly stating that he couldn’t be more worried, reassured everyone that Madrid had a talented squad to rely on, with players like Carvajal and Tchouaméni stepping up in unexpected positions.

In the end, despite the challenges and injuries, the team remained focused on giving their best and training diligently every day. With their unity, talent, and love for the game, they were determined to showcase their best version on the field.

With the other modalities already dry, except water polo, whose two finals will be held on the 16th and 17th, the “classic” swimming at the Doha World Cup begins, and will continue until the 18th.. Whatever happens with the magnificent Spanish water polo teams, both are already qualified for the Olympic Games, the summit event of the year, the primary objective.

The first part of the competition brought Spain six medals, although none of gold, the metal that establishes true hierarchies.. María Valdés won the silver (10 kms. in open water), the artistic swimming team in the technical routine, Dennis González (free solo) and, on the last day, González again, together with Mireia Hernández, in the mixed free duet.

Nicolás García Boissier and Adrián Abadía (synchronized jumps on the three-meter springboard) and Iris Tió and Alisa Ozhagina (technical team routine in the artistic) won the bronze.. By the way, they qualified for the Games, one of the specific goals of this Championship, a true, pre-Olympic obsessive, Ángela Martínez, thirteenth in the 10 km. in open water, the entire team synchronized in the sum of the technical, acrobatic and free routines, and, again, Tió and Ozhogina being fourth in the free exercise of the artistic. For her part, María Papworth, semi-finalist in the three-meter springboard, is virtually in Paris, although she must confirm her passport with, in May, a final “test” in the Spanish Cup.

Now comes the quadruple reign of freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke with modest expectations for our swimming, more concerned with those Parisian classifications than with increasing the medal table. Hugo González already has a ticket in the 200 backstroke and the 200 styles. He will try to earn another place in the 100 backstroke.

The… Hugo's back, a regular finalist or semi-finalist in major events, currently supports the light weight of Spanish swimming. Apart from him, those closest to Paris are Arbidel González (200 butterfly) and Carlos Garach in 800 and, above all, 1,500. Idle, from now on, specify “free”. These distances do not exist in the other styles.

Mireia Belmonte, older (33 years old), but, above all, battered and suffering, will have one last opportunity to see the Eiffel Tower at the Spanish Open, in June. Like Nadal, he has more than earned the right to continue trusting her. But, as in the case of Rafa, it is becoming more and more difficult. Spanish women's swimming now relies on those who come to Doha with their sights set more on Paris than elsewhere and on something else: Carmen Weiler (100 backstroke) and África Zamorano (200 backstroke). Emma Carrasco, 18 years old on December 31, our greatest promise, junior world champion in 2022 in the 200 breaststroke and bronze in the 200 medley, has been showing a slight jump in age.

Spanish swimming is largely a group scenario. Five relay teams will take to the pool with Paris in mind: the men's 4×100 freestyle, 4×200 freestyle and 4×100 medley; the feminine of 4×100 styles and the mixed of, also, 4×100 styles.

In a calendar saturated by, still, the consequences of the pandemic; with Championships shoehorned or hammered into the programming; With even a European Championship in Belgrade in June, the proximity of the Olympic Games has dissuaded quite a few stars from going to Doha.

To Katie Ledecky, for example, who, on the other hand, has been having some troubles lately. Ariarne Titmus, Summer McIntosh and, again, Titmus snatched the 400 freestyle world record in 2022 and 2023. And on Friday, McIntosh, the prodigious Canadian teenager (17 years old), defeated her in the 800. Ledecky had not bit the dust (chlorine) in that event since 2010.

In Doha, among other stars, David Popovici, Caeleb Dressel, Léon Marchand, Titmus and McIntosh themselves, Kayle McKewon, Haiyang Qin… but there will be no shortage of others of maximum brilliance. Michael Andrew, Hunter Armstrong, Nick Fink and Kate Douglass (United States), Cameron McEvoy (Australia), Bingjie Li (China). Tom Dean, Adam Peaty and Ben Proud (Great Britain), Florian Wellbrock (Germany, Daiya Seto (Japan), Ruta Meilutyte (Lithuania), Sara Sjöström (Sweden), Gregorio Paltrinieri, Benedetta Pilato, Simona Quadarella (Italy)… A Championship of this caliber is never naked or orphan of great attractions.

Doha starts and ends in Doha. And also where Doha ends, Paris begins.

The role of the goalkeeper is crucial for any team, as they play a vital part in winning championships. Keeping the goal unbeaten is fundamental to success, especially in knockout competitions. Marc-André ter Stegen, who will return to the starting lineup after a two-month absence due to injury, has proven himself to be a more reliable goalkeeper than Iñaki Peña. In terms of statistics, Ter Stegen has conceded 15 goals in 17 games, while Peña has let in 32 goals in the same number of matches. Ter Stegen has also kept a clean sheet eight times, compared to Peña’s three. Although the overall defense has been less successful this season, Ter Stegen has performed better in the league, conceding 13 goals in 13 games, while Peña has allowed 17 goals in 10 matches. In terms of the Champions League, Ter Stegen has only conceded two goals in four games, while Peña has let in four goals in two matches. Xavi, the coach, acknowledges the importance of Ter Stegen’s return and considers him a key player for the team. His presence will be crucial for Barcelona’s success in the remaining games of the season.

In the stands of the Palau Sant Jordi, during the 2013 World Cup in Barcelona, a young girl was captivated by the grace and beauty of Ona Carbonell’s artistic swimming performance. Inspired by what she saw, Iris Tió, just nine years old at the time, turned to her parents, both musicians, and declared, “I want to be like her.” Little did she know that her declaration would set her on a path that would lead her to become the new star of Spanish artistic swimming and help resurrect the national team.

The journey to revival wasn’t an easy one. After the spectacular performances by the Spanish team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, disaster struck with the Anna Tarrés case, resulting in the firing of the coach and the departure of several swimmers. The team struggled to regain its footing and failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, Spain has already secured two spots and is once again aiming for medals.

In the recent World Cup in Doha, Iris Tió and her partner Alisa Ozhogina, along with the Spanish team, finished in fourth position. There is still work to be done, but with months of preparation ahead and a strong drive, anything is possible next summer. So how did Spain revive its artistic swimming program? It’s a combination of enthusiastic young athletes like Tió, the new coaching team led by Mayuko Fujiki, and a change in regulations.

Mayuko Fujiki, the coach, praises Iris and Alisa as “two stars” and sees them as the successors of past champions like Ona Carbonell and Andrea Fuentes. Despite their different training backgrounds, with Tió from a renowned club in Barcelona and Ozhogina from a humble club in Seville, they both made their mark on the national team at a young age and had to work hard to rise to the top. Their style and technique have been greatly influenced by the Russian school of artistic swimming, and it has propelled them to the forefront of the sport.

While they achieved podium finishes in the technical part of the recent championship, there is still room for improvement, especially in the free exercises and acrobatic part. Coach Fujiki acknowledges that to be on the podium in Paris, they need to do better, and she is committed to making it happen.

The departure of Anna Tarrés left a void in the technical direction of the national team, and it was Mayuko Fujiki who stepped in to fill that role in 2017. With her experience as a former synchronized swimmer and her work with Tarrés, as well as other countries’ teams, she took charge of the new project and implemented a new work methodology. Her measures include prioritizing rest and limiting training hours in the water, which has resulted in better quality training sessions.

One significant factor in the revival of Spanish artistic swimming is the change in regulations. The sport, previously known as synchronized swimming, has become freer and more unpredictable. The new regulations reward stunts and punish mistakes, making it difficult to determine the winner beforehand. This has opened up opportunities for different countries to excel in the discipline. While traditional powerhouses like Russia and China are expected to dominate in Paris 2024, Spain, with its strategic approach and talented athletes like Tió and Ozhogina, is ready to challenge them.

Madrid has been chosen as the official host city for an NFL meeting in 2025. The American football league has announced that it will hold two seasons of games at the Santiago Bernabéu, beating out the competition from the Cívitas Metropolitano stadium. The NFL’s interest in partnering with Real Madrid, as well as the renovations at the Bernabéu, played a significant role in securing the prestigious venue. This will be the first official NFL match in Spain and the fourth in Europe, following London, Munich, and Frankfurt.

In the coming months, the NFL will announce the specific date of the match and the participating teams. It is highly likely that the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins will be chosen, as these franchises have been designated by the league to further its marketing objectives in Spain. The international matches in previous seasons have been held in October and November, so it is possible that Madrid will also host the game during that timeframe in 2025.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed his excitement about the expansion of the league and the opportunity to bring the sport to more fans around the world. He emphasized the pride in partnering with Real Madrid, a global brand, and the city of Madrid, to bring a spectacular match to the world-class Santiago Bernabéu stadium.

Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez hailed the arrival of the NFL as a historic event in the world of sports. He highlighted the strategic alliance between the football club and the globally renowned NFL, which will promote their brands on a global scale and generate enthusiasm among millions of fans worldwide.

Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida expressed his conviction that the partnership between Madrid and the NFL was not a coincidence but destiny. He thanked the NFL for selecting Madrid as the host city for this unprecedented event, which will take place in the legendary and newly renovated Santiago Bernabéu stadium. The mayor proudly stated that this collaboration would mark a new chapter in Madrid’s sporting history, making the city a host of the world’s most important league. He eagerly awaits next year when Madrid will make history alongside the NFL.