'Grazie' Carlo, the Italian who made us better

There are two Italys, just as there are two Spains, but while the division of the first is territorial, north and south, our failure is in our blood. Football is one of the little theaters of Cainism, with Madrid and Barça like lovers who hate and need each other. Being part of one of them without being part of the self-destructive narrative that so often makes us small—players, coaches, presidents, fans, or journalists—is impossible if you are not Italian, if you are not Carlo Ancelotti .

The legacy left by the coach, honorably dismissed at the Bernabéu, transcends his colossal achievements at Madrid, the 15 titles, the three Champions Leagues. Ancelotti has improved Spanish football as a whole, demonstrating the emotional balance he didn't always find for his team on the pitch, failing to explain that managing talent means managing imbalance. With more hours of exposure than any other public figure, because no one gives four press conferences a week, looking for a gaffe from the coach is like looking for a ring on the beach.

According to his daughter Katia , raising his eyebrow is his way of letting off steam. Not even Madrid's refereeing hysteria has caused him to lose his temper, even in the obligatory and punctual following of a businessman who doesn't confuse roles and knows his place and that of the boss. Ancelotti has cohabited with the most important, about whom, with only a tablecloth and confidence, he recounts amusing anecdotes. The best, about Berlusconi , as if he were a character in a comedy. Florentino often seems like the one in a tragedy, so typical of us.

Spanish football doesn't need a Garibaldi to unify it, but it does need voices to pacify it, although sometimes we ask of the leaders of the game what we don't ask of the leaders of a world gone mad. Fabio Capello , another Italian who managed Real Madrid, was shocked when he saw the amount of Modena vinegar we Spaniards put in our salads. It must be just the right amount, as Ancelotti said. Grazie e buona fortuna.