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

AC Milan's coach Carlo Ancelotti with the Fifa Club World Cup at the Malpensa Airport, north of Milan, on December 17, 2007. AFP

AC Milan's coach Carlo Ancelotti after winning the Champions League final against Liverpool at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, May 23, 2007. AFP

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti lifts the FA Cup after his team beat Portsmouth 1-0 in the final at Wembley on May 15, 2010. AFP

Manager Carlo Ancelotti celebrates with the Premier League trophy after Chelsea won the title with a 8-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at Stamford Bridge on May 9, 2010. AFP

Paris Saint-Germain's Carlo Ancelotti during the ceremony for the French league title at at Parc des Princes on May 18, 2013. AFP

Real Madrid's coach Carlo Ancelotti with the Champions League title on May 24, 2014. Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 4-1 at the Luz Stadium in Lisbon. AFP

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti with Bundesliga title in Munich on May 20, 2017. AFP

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti lifts the Bundesliga trophy on May 20, 2017. AFP

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp during a parade on May 13, 2012. Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich 5-2 in the German Cup final on May 12, 2012 to claim the first domestic double in their 103-year history. AFP

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp with the league title during a victory parade on May 15, 2011. AFP

Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp during an open-top bus parade around Liverpool on June 2, 2019, after winning the Champions League final against Tottenham. AFP

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp with the trophy after his team defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final at the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium in Madrid on June 1, 2019. AFP

Jurgen Klopp celebrates with the Club World Cup after the win over CR Flamengo December 21, 2019 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Getty

Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool's midfielder Adam Lallana with the Premier League trophy during the presentation ceremony at Anfield on July 22, 2020. AFP

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates with the trophy after winning the League Cup on February 27, 2022. Reuters

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates after winning the FA Cup final at the Wembley Stadium on May 14, 2022. AFP

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.