"'La Decima'? We very nearly didn't win it"

After going 12 years without winning the Champions League, Madrid won 'La Decima' in 2014 at the Estadio da Luz. They did so after beating Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time and Ancelotti was the manager. 

The Italian managed to get that much sought after 10th Champions League trophy and it will go down in the club's history. In fact, Ancelotti talked about it at the beginning of the academic year at the Real Madrid Graduate School - Universidad Europea. 

The coach, accompanied by Emilio Butragueno, director of institutional relations at Real Madrid and director general of the school, spoke about that night in Lisbon. 

"'La Decima' was something all Real Madrid fans wanted and it was a huge motivation. We nearly didn't win it, but from the first until the last minute, the players wanted that trophy. That's the reason why Real Madrid won. The whole dressing room was very motivated, not only the players. The doctors, kitmen and others were also motivated. It was a unique atmosphere and they all believe in it, Ancelotti said in the auditorium. 

In relation to what it means coaching Real Madrid, the Italian made it clear how special it is: "This is the most prestigious club, with most history and most fans; it's a great responsibility. They have 13 Champions Leagues and no one else has that. This is due to its values and challenges, which have taken it to this place in history. I was lucky enough to coach this club a few years back and now I'm trying to enjoy it again."

Ancelotti also spoke about how football has evolved: "It's changing, it's changed and it's going to change, it never stops. The methodology, the strategy in matches, physiotherapy, speed... It doesn't make sense to ask the players to do things we did in the 80s now. And the same goes for things 20 years ago. The players are much more professional than they were before.