Ancelotti has the ‘desire of a child’ to keep winning – Casemiro

Carlo Ancelotti has the “desire of a child” to keep winning trophies, according to Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro.

Los Blancos followed up last season’s Champions League triumph by beating Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the Super Cup on Wednesday.

David Alaba put Madrid ahead before Karim Benzema moved to outright second in the club’s all-time goalscoring charts with a second-half finish past Kevin Trapp.

Benzema’s effort took him to 324 goals in all competitions for Madrid, putting him one ahead of legendary Spain forward Raul and trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo (450).

The triumph in Helsinki makes Ancelotti the first coach to win the Super Cup four times, and Casemiro does not think the Italian is planning to stop collecting the silverware anytime soon.

“I’ve spoken many times about Carlo Ancelotti, he’s a footballing legend,” Casemiro, who was named man of the match after a dominant midfield display, told a media conference.

“I speak with my heart when I say how much I admire him. I think he’s 63 now, but he still wants to win.

“He has the desire of a child to keep winning, so that’s great for us. With the wealth of experience he has, he can bring so much. He has helped us win many trophies.

“He deserves it; he is a wonderful coach and an absolutely fantastic person. When there’s a change of the coach it’s important to have a winning desire, and we’ve certainly had that with Carlo Ancelotti.”

Madrid will have more players than most involved in the mid-season World Cup in Qatar, yet Casemiro does not think it will have a negative impact on the club’s season.

“We don’t need to make many changes; we’re professional and want to win,” the Brazil international said.  

“We’re excited about playing at the World Cup. We’ve never had the opportunity and we’re excited to play at one in the middle of the season.

“I don’t think it will change a player’s mentality. In terms of staying fit I don’t think it changes much.”

While Ancelotti also has no concerns about the build-up to the tournament, he does worry about the impact of his players not having a proper break before resuming domestic football.

“Until the start of the World Cup we are not going to have any problems,” he told reporters.

“They will be focused and fit for the World Cup, but when the players are back that’s when we have the doubts.

“Before we don’t have a lot of problems. After we have to check, they could be tired. Most of them usually after a World Cup can go on holiday, but after this World Cup they will be going into the tough moment of the season.”