Carlo Ancelotti's Calm Leadership Continues to Underpin Real Madrid's Success

There are often weeks, and sometimes even months, that go by when you wonder whether Carlo Ancelotti actually cares. 

His glittering record, of course, suggests he does. But his perpetual nonchalance, both in the dugout and behind the microphone, regularly forces you to ponder if—as unlikely as it may be—there are far more important matters on his mind than managing world football's most famous club side.

During interviews, he's an endearing character, fluctuating between unmoved and jovial. Pitch side, he couldn't appear less bothered. Or excited. Or at all concerned.

His demeanour has achieved the ultimate equilibrium, a harmony with his surrounds. 

It's as if the Italian has been able to compartmentalise in a way none of his predecessors have ever managed, viewing his existence at the centre of the hyperbolic Real Madrid galaxy as little more than a regular day job that must be balanced with other common commitments. 

It was Ancelotti, after all, who once said, per Henry Winter of The Telegraph, that football is "the most important of the less important things in life." Many others have expressed something similar through words at various junctures, but few prominent figures in the professional game have ever truly embodied that sentiment quite like the Real Madrid boss. 

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Of course, these unique and cherished qualities have been observed in the 55-year-old for some time now, reflected in his popularity across Europe after successful stops at Reggiana, Parma, AC Milan, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain prior to reaching the Bernabeu. 

At no stage has Ancelotti ever sought acclaim for his work. The results have always spoken for themselves. His players, in his view, have always been the stars. 

But the Italian's managerial ability has never been more appreciated than it is right now. The acclaim he's typically deflected onto others is now pouring down on him.

For a man in his position, that's extremely significant. 

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Managers, as many would acknowledge, have tended to carry little stature at Real Madrid. In contrast to the dominant authoritarians of other clubs, those "in charge" in the Spanish capital have often been tasked with simply oiling the wheels and letting the game's most extravagant outfit do its thing.

Indeed, managers at the Bernabeu have been like referees: good if they go unnoticed. 

That's been especially true during Florentino Perez's rule as president that has forever linked the club with the Galactico policy. Nowhere in football have star names ever dwarfed managers quite like they have at Real. 

Ancelotti, however, is changing the status quo. At a club that has forever craved notoriety like no other, a humble figure of excellence who has rarely cared for such things is emphatically securing his seat in the game's pantheon of leaders and garnering substantial adulation for himself in the process. 

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Always appearing to be in control, he has inherited a team defined by egos, dressing-room divides and a curious sense of underachievement, transforming them into the continent's most irrepressible force and propelling them to a level that is truly representative of the money that has been spent to put them together. 

Those who are tactically inclined will have noticed his acumen in such an area. Those who like to pore over the numbers will no doubt have gushed about Real Madrid's numerical achievements during his tenure.

But that all feels peripheral at the moment. At the core of his success is his innate feel for his squad, the relationships built with his players and his unshakable composure in football's fiercest cauldron. 

There's just an incredible ease with which he does things. 

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Just the other day, a colleague and I were discussing whether there was another manager in the game who could do what Ancelotti is currently achieving at Real Madrid. We pondered over the unique demands that present themselves at the Bernabeu, the way one's skills in diplomacy, politics, public relations and man management are so brutally tested on top of more elementary aspects of the job. 

Fifteen, maybe 20 minutes went by uninterrupted as we toyed with various names and compared their qualities with those of the Italian, before concluding that Real Madrid couldn't be in better hands—that the parties couldn't be more suited to each other. 

Just like Vicente del Bosque did at the turn of the century, the contrast of Ancelotti's disposition and character to that of his employer has helped the world's most powerful footballing institution to achieve a state of balance.

For Real Madrid to capture the acclaim they've relentlessly desired, they needed a manager who has never actively sought it himself. 

Ancelotti, who continues to underpin Los Blancos' current success, is just the guy they needed.