Say what you want, but Carlo Ancelotti had a historic combined tenure at Real Madrid.
His two stints had their bad moments, but they were also trophy-laden periods that marked an era at the club that may never be repeated.
Real Madrid won their coveted La Decima trophy when Ancelotti was in charge for the first time, and Zinedine Zidane was his assistant coach. They won it together, and eventually, Zidane became a Real Madrid coach and won it three more times.
A player that Ancelotti brought to Real Madrid in 2013, however, has said that the French legend was the only coach at Real Madrid who truly believed in him.
Isco joined Real Madrid from Malaga in 2013 as part of Ancelotti's first signing at the club, and they made sure it was one of his best ones. But, clearly, Zidane had a huge impact on the Spaniard's career, as he went on to become an integral cog under the Frenchman.
Isco was unplayable in his prime
While speaking to L'Equipe, Isco said: "Zidane was the only coach at Real Madrid who truly trusted me in my natural position.”
“He changed the system to put me behind Cristiano and Benzema, as an attacking midfielder. I was a free electron, moving into the spaces left by the wingers. I adored him.
"Zizou’s first full season was the best year of my career.”
That is fair enough. Zidane did help him find his best form, when he became a nailed-on starter. He started scoring and assisting at will, and that was not even the gist of it.
The way Isco used to dribble and create chances for his teammates at will was something we have not seen at Real Madrid since.
Even when Zidane came back in his second stint, Isco was brought back into the action after a blip under Santiago Solari, which showed how important Isco was to Zizou as well.