Real Madrid Manager Carlo Ancelotti has told the media there are two types of players in football, those who put the team first, and those ho are drawn in by their ego more.
The Italian should know. Having had a career at the top level for the best part of two decades himself, and then in coaching for more than three now, Ancelotti’s talent for managing dressing rooms has not sprung from nowhere. It gives him a qualified insight into the mindset of a dressing room too.
Ancelotti told Diario AS that he has noticed a change.
“In terms of the transfer market, something has changed. The player has more power than before. On the pitch it remains the same.”
He also noted that some players will sacrifice for the team, while others will ensure their own reputation is protected first.
“The player who has a little more ego prefers to win individual titles and there are others who want to put their quality at the service of the team.”
Football appears to be moving to a model more similar to that of the major American sports, like the NFL or NBA. Increasingly players are running down their contracts in order to secure bigger contracts, instead of that money being used in a transfer fee. It appears that Kylian Mbappe may be in the process of doing just that for the second time in two years.
