“Spectacular.” This is how Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti described Giannis Antetokounmpo’s speech. The basketball superstar, player of the Milwaukee Bucks, had delivered a strong speech at a press conference, after the elimination of his team in the 1st round of the NBA play-offs by the Miami Heat.
“There is no failure in sport”, swept away Antetokounmpo, NBA champion in 2021, speaking rather of “steps towards success”. “I think 100% like him,” Ancelotti said, before expanding on his view of failure. “In sport, you can’t talk about failure, says the Italian technician. Even in life, you can’t talk about failure. Failure is only when you don’t give your best. That is failure.”
Between his playing and coaching career, Ancelotti (63) has six Champions Leagues to his credit. On a bench, he won nearly 25 trophies, from AC Milan to Chelsea via Bayern Munich and PSG. “In sport, we lose much more often than we win, recalled Ancelotti. I have a big cabinet with lots of trophies, but if I were to include all the ones I’ve lost, it wouldn’t be a cabinet, it would be a house.”
According to Ancelotti, “When you try to do your best, you have peace of mind. It is never a failure, not only in sport, but in life. Real Madrid, 2nd in La Liga, is still in contention in the Champions League where it is the defending champion, and will face Manchester City in the semi-finals.