Carlo Ancelotti is preparing to lead Brazil into the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Morocco — the biggest job of even his career — and the man doing it has a family story worth knowing.
He's already the most decorated manager in Champions League history with five titles, and the only coach to have won league championships in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France. Now he's chasing the one trophy that has eluded every manager who came before him in the Seleção dugout. Brazil haven't won the World Cup since 2002. That's 24 years of hurt Ancelotti is being asked to fix.
His Family Life, Past and Present
Ancelotti has been married twice. His first marriage, to Luisa Gibellini, produced two children before the couple divorced in 2008. Since 2014, he has been married to Mariann Barrena McClay, a Canadian-Spanish businesswoman. They have no biological children together, though Ancelotti is stepfather to Mariann's daughter, Chloé McClay.
His eldest child from his first marriage is Katia Ancelotti, born in 1984. She carved out a career in sports journalism — including a stint at Chelsea TV during her father's time at Stamford Bridge — and is married to Beniamino Fulco, a nutritionist who has also worked inside Ancelotti's coaching setups at various clubs.
Then there's Davide, born in 1989. He tried his luck as a player, it didn't stick, and he made the smarter call — become a coach instead. He now serves as Carlo's chief assistant at Real Madrid. Having your son as your right-hand man at the biggest club in the world is either a dynasty or a soap opera, depending on how the results go.
Roots in Rural Italy
Ancelotti grew up in Reggiolo, a small farming town in northern Italy. His father, Giuseppe, was a farmer and artisan who died in September 2010 at 87. His mother, Cecilia, ran the household. He has a brother who worked the family farm alongside him, and a sister, Angela, who stayed in Italy to care for their father in his later years.
It's a grounded upbringing for a man who now coaches in front of 80,000 people and carries the weight of an entire footballing nation heading into a World Cup.
