[From the Coaching Zone // World Cup Perspective #1]

Ancelotti, Towels and the Secret of Quiet Leadership

As this World Cup gets underway, my attention will be focused primarily on the coaches. What fascinates me most is the technical area. This tournament promises to be a remarkable showcase of leadership and strategy. No fewer than 27 of the 48 participating nations have entrusted their teams to foreign coaches. For me, observing these different personalities is one of the most compelling aspects of the competition. How do they lead? How do they communicate? How do they shape their teams?

Among them are some of the game's most accomplished club managers now wearing national team colours. Thomas Tuchel has been tasked with ending England's long wait for major international success and finally guiding the Three Lions across the finish line. Mauricio Pochettino faces the challenge of turning co-host USA into a genuine contender. Carlos Queiroz is leading Ghana in what will be his fifth consecutive World Cup, while World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro takes debutants Uzbekistan onto football's biggest stage. And, of course, there is Lionel Scaloni with Argentina and Ralf Rangnick, who has transformed Austria into one of Europe's most exciting national teams.

What makes this tournament particularly fascinating is the clash of coaching philosophies. On one side stands Julian Nagelsmann, arguably one of the most innovative tactical minds among the elite nations. Yet the transition from daily club management to international coaching remains a challenge. On the other side is the legendary Marcelo Bielsa, "El Loco", whose Uruguay side continues to embody his trademark attacking and uncompromising football.

Yet when it comes to leadership, one name stands above all others for me: Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful club coach in football history. Now he faces a new challenge — leading Brazil in pursuit of a sixth World Cup star.

Whenever I watch "Carletto" on the touchline today, my mind inevitably travels back to 2004.

At the time, I was completing my UEFA Pro Licence. One of the requirements was to spend time observing an international club from the inside. Through a trusted connection, an extraordinary opportunity emerged: AC Milan.

The coach was Carlo Ancelotti.

Together with former player and coach Walter Hörmann, I travelled to Milan. The legendary training ground, Milanello, was heavily protected and virtually inaccessible to outsiders. There seemed to be no chance of getting in. Yet thanks to a valuable contact within the club, the gates eventually opened, allowing us a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of football's greatest organisations.

Milanello, 2004. A tightly guarded training ground—and two Austrian coaches right in the middle of it.

We stood by the training pitch as the assistant coaches prepared the session. One by one, the players emerged from the dressing room and stepped onto the field.

As a young coach, I was literally frozen in awe.

Until then, I had worked mainly with academy players and had spent just one season coaching in the Austrian Bundesliga with Admira. And suddenly, standing in front of me were Paolo Maldini, Gennaro Gattuso, Kaká, Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Nesta.

Then the Mister arrived.

Carlo Ancelotti carried himself with a relaxed sense of authority. He was constantly interacting with his players, exchanging words, smiling, listening. The atmosphere was exceptionally positive and constructive.

The training session began, and then the team's superstar at the time, Andriy Shevchenko, arrived late.

We waited curiously to see how the Mister would react.

Nothing happened.

There was no public reprimand, no dramatic gesture, no attempt to make an example of him. Ancelotti simply carried on.

The session itself was equally fascinating to observe—not so much because of the exercises, but because of the vastly different levels of intensity displayed by the players.

While Gennaro Gattuso attacked every drill with maximum commitment and energy, Shevchenko's effort level bordered on complete disengagement.

"Normally, you'd send him straight back to the dressing room," I whispered to Walter.

A Superstar Arrives Late. The Mister's Reaction? None. Why?

But nothing of the sort happened.

That is ego management through empathy.

Ancelotti does not fight the egos of world-class players. He accepts them. Instead, he seeks to understand the people behind the stars. In doing so, he earns their trust. If you read his book Quiet Leadership, you immediately understand the philosophy behind this approach.

The highlight came at the very end of our visit.

We were granted a 20-minute conversation with Carlo Ancelotti. We waited patiently outside his office before finally being invited in.

There was no Carlo Ancelotti dressed in an elegant suit.

Instead, he had just come out of the shower, wearing little more than a towel.

And that was exactly how he sat down with us—completely grounded, approachable and authentic.

For the next twenty minutes, he answered every question we had with patience and generosity. There was no distance, no sense of superiority, and certainly no trace of celebrity behaviour. Just a world-class coach speaking openly with two young colleagues.

This World Cup promises to be fascinating.

But if you want to know who will ultimately lift the trophy, don't focus solely on tactics, systems or match plans.

Watch the coaches who can turn 26 individual egos into one family.

Carlo Ancelotti can do exactly that—even wearing nothing but a towel.