KOP CHILLER

Carlo still haunted by pain of Liverpool final defeats

- JOHN CROSS

CARLO ANCELOTTI is the most successful manager in Champions League history.

Yet despite winning the trophy a recordbreaking six times as coach and player, there are two finals which haunt him to this day.

The 64-year-old Real Madrid boss was manager of AC Milan when they lost to Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005 in arguably the most dramatic final of all time.

Ancelotti was also part of the Roma squad which lost to Liverpool in the 1984 final, although he missed the game itself through injury.

Those two matches are etched in his memory as much as the glory games and as such are his own driving force to push him on towards more success.

‘The Miracle of Istanbul’, when Liverpool came back from 3-0 down at half time to win in a shootout, is a reminder of how emotion and drama can be the biggest factors in any final.

Madrid have won the trophy a record 14 times and are looking for their 15th, while it would be a fifth success as a manager for Ancelotti.

The ex Chelsea boss said: “I’ve felt the greatest emotions in this competition – my greatest positive emotions as well as my greatest negative emotions.