Davide Ancelotti wants to make a name for himself – will he do it at Lille?

Davide Ancelotti is establishing himself as Lille manager after 14 years in his father Carlo's shadow, with strong Ligue 1 form but Champions League struggles.

Davide Ancelotti has taken over as Lille manager this summer, marking a significant departure for the club after years of appointing experienced Ligue 1 hands. Unlike his father Carlo, one of the greatest managers in football history, Davide spent 14 years as an assistant, following his father from Liverpool to Bayern Munich, Napoli, Real Madrid and the Brazil national team, with only a brief 33-game spell managing Botafogo.

President Olivier Létang, who worked with Carlo at Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 when Davide was the fitness coach, appointed him this summer. Davide has said he hopes to "write my story, with my first name, too", aware that comparisons to his father are inevitable but unfair. Lille have made an impressive start to their Ligue 1 campaign, sitting just one point behind leaders Rennes after drawing 1-1 at Monaco on Sunday with 15 points from eight games—their best domestic start since winning the title in 2020-21. However, they have been exposed in Europe, losing all three Champions League matches and sitting second from bottom in the 36-team table.