The greatest Real Madrid lineup of the Carlo Ancelotti era

Carlo Ancelotti is one of the greatest head coaches in the history of the sport. Mostly known for his incredible tenure with Real Madrid (split across two different periods), the Italian perfectionist has helped the club to assert their dominance on the rest of Europe.

Recently, "Don" Carlo hailed his current Real Madrid squad as the "best squad" he's ever had available to him (TNT Sports). That's quite the compliment to his current roster, considering he has dominated the European sphere with the likes of Chelsea, AC Milan and Bayern Munich.

So, this got me thinking - What is the greatest Real Madrid lineup of the Carlo Ancelotti era? Well, let's take a look...

The greatest Real Madrid lineup of the Carlo Ancelotti era

GK - Thibaut Courtois. Treble winner and all-round legendary goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kicks off this astonishing crop of players. The Belgian has cemented himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world under Carlo Ancelotti's second spell as head coach. It tells a lot about Courtois' reputation at Real Madrid, that the fans forget his former ties to local rivals Atletico Madrid.

In Ancelotti's first season of his Real Madrid return, Courtois was a key component to Real Madrid winning the treble. Still making the first team to this day, Courtois is an all-time great and a goalkeeper who Carlo Ancelotti will recall as being a pleasure to work with.

Continued on the next slide...