This time 20 years ago, Italy were on their way to reaching their fifth World Cup final.
Arrigo Sacchi was at the helm of an Azzurri team that seldom impressed but still managed to scrap through the group before knocking out Nigeria, Spain and Bulgaria en route to a runners-up spot after the title went to Brazil on penalties.
At the time, Sacchi’s right-hand-man at the national team was Carlo Ancelotti.
Back in 1987, Sacchi had lured Ancelotti from Roma to Milan as in him he saw a talented midfielder with a football brain, someone to lead the team from the field.
Sacchi’s decision was vindicated as Ancelotti became a vital cog in a star-studded Rossoneri team that won the 1988 scudetto and the European Cup in 1989 and 1990.
Sacchi was never a professional footballer but he still succeeded in attracting the interest of Silvio Berlusconi after having led Parma to dizzy heights in Italy.
At the time, many pundits had questioned the rationale behind Berlusconi’s decision to opt for a novice at the helm of a football super power in the making.
Eventually, time proved Berlusconi right.
Sacchi, however, did not replicate his style of champagne football with the Italian national team.
In USA ’94 the team never lived up to its billing and an early exit from Euro ’96 paved the way for Sacchi to quit the Azzurri.
When taking up coaching Ancelotti was a firm believer in Sacchi’s 4-4-2 module.
In 1994/95, an uninspiring start to the season almost led Serie B outfit Reggiana to sack him but a strong comeback in the second round ensured the side made it to the top flight.
At his next club, Parma, Ancelotti learned to his detriment that no system was more important than the players.
He refused to sign Roberto Baggio because the playmaker’s role did not fit in his playing system.
In that season, the ‘Divine Ponytail’ scored more than 20 goals for Bologna.
Replacing Marcello Lippi at Juventus was always going to be a daunting task for Ancelotti. Second is simply not good enough at Juventus, where winning is the most important thing irrespective of the style of football.
It was at Milan that Ancelotti’s career really took off. In 2003, he led the Rossoneri to their first Champions League triumph in nine years.
Currently, Ancelotti is one of six men, including Miguel Munoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Pep Guardiola, Johan Cruyff and Frank Rijkaard, to have lifted the coveted cup both as a player and coach.
That Champions League triumph over Juventus at Old Trafford was the prelude to a series of achievements by Ancelotti as he added the Coppa Italia in 2003 and the scudetto in 2004.
In the 2007 Champions League final, Ancelotti led Milan to a revenge over Liverpool.
However, with Berlusconi reducing the funding, Ancelotti became one of the top-rated coaches in 2009 to quit the Serie A in search of pastures new outside the country.
Chelsea pounced on the occasion and Ancelotti immediately led the Londoners to a historic Premier League and FA Cup double.
But his stint at Stamford Bridge was shorter than expected as he was sacked in 2011.
At his next club, PSG, Ancelotti started building a title-winning squad and in 2012/13 he led the Parisians to their first Ligue 1 title since 1994.
Almost immediately after that triumph, Ancelotti quit PSG to join Real Madrid in Spain.
A month ago, Ancelotti engraved his name with golden letters in the annals of Real after leading them to La Decima.
He joined a select group of four other coaches to have won a European Cup with two different clubs.
Also, the success enabled An-celotti to emulate Bob Paisley’s achievement of winning three European Cups (with Liverpool in 1977, 1978 and 1981).
Ancelotti, the farmer’s son from Emilia-Romagna, has already done better than his master Sacchi.
Not only that, but Ancelotti has the potential to win more titles at Real Madrid and with other clubs.
Unlike Sacchi, he has remained humble and curious enough to keep adapting to new environs and learning from different situations.