Carlo Ancelotti v Jurgen Klopp: clash of great managers in Champions League final

As Real Madrid take on Liverpool in Paris, we look at the tale of the tape for rival coaches

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Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid pits two of European football's superpowers against each other — but it is also a clash between two of its greatest managers.

The Spanish giants, led by Carlo Ancelotti, are looking to win a record-extending 14th European Cup in Paris, while Liverpool are hoping to clinch club football's greatest prize for a seventh time.

Italian coach Ancelotti is seeking a record-breaking fourth European Cup title as a manager, while German Klopp is out to land his second.

Ancelotti has won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007 with AC Milan and in 2014 during his first spell at Real Madrid.

He has also clinched the Uefa Super Cup in 2003, 2007 and 2014, and the Fifa Club World Cup in 2007 and 2014.

Klopp won the Champions League in 2019 — after losing to Real in the 2018 final — when Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0. He added the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup in 2019.

Ancelotti, at 62, has a few years on his younger rival, who is 54, but both have impressive managerial CVs.

The Italian's first major trophy was the Intertoto Cup with Juventus back in 1999.

He has since won five league titles, in five different major European leagues, during spells in charge of AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

His other major trophies include the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italia, FA Cup, Community Shield, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana and the German Supercup (twice).

Klopp managed to break the Bayern Munich stranglehold on the Bundesliga, winning the title in 2011 and again in 2012 with Borussia Dortmund.

He added the DFB-Pokal in 2012 and the German Supercup in 2013 and 2014 during his time in Germany.

After his move to Liverpool, he managed to end the Anfield club's 30-year wait for a title by winning the Premier League in 2020.

This season, he added the FA Cup and League Cup to his tally.

As it stands, then, the tale of the tape reads: Ancelotti 22 major trophies; Klopp 11 major trophies.

But whoever adds to their collection on Saturday night, time is definitely on Klopp's side in the battle between two of football's great managers.

Updated: May 28, 2022, 4:13 AM