After being humiliatingly dismissed by Chelsea, Ancelotti did not leave London immediately.
He needed some time to pack up and deal with a few matters, such as his rented home in London.
More importantly, on the morning after his dismissal, he received a phone call that made him decide to stay in London. He wanted to watch the upcoming Champions League Final in person.
It was hailed as the most expensive match in the history of World Soccer.
Not only because both sides were stacked with hugely valuable players, but also because the winner would receive enormous prize money and revenue.
As the two teams arrived early, the atmosphere surrounding the final in London grew increasingly intense. Fans could be seen everywhere on the streets, while the many ubiquitous media reporters scrambled to capture every bit of news. This made Ancelotti keep a low profile and rarely leave his residence.
It was not until Thursday evening that he disguised himself and slipped quietly out of his residence, making his way to a luxury hotel.
Before long, he met the person who had called him a few days earlier.
Oh, no—or perhaps it was more accurate to say, that group of people.
Real Madrid president Florentino, chief steward Manuel Redondo, Technical Director Valdano, and the president's special adviser Zidane—the four most influential figures in Real Madrid's management, with Zidane technically being an outsider.
Zidane had been the one to call Ancelotti earlier, but Florentino had been the one who told him to make the call.
They were all intelligent people, so many things did not need to be said. They understood one another naturally.
After meeting, they sat down, exchanged a few polite greetings, and chatted about some recent events, each sighing with emotion in their own way.
Florentino expressed his