Riedinger: “I grilled at home, the doorbell rang and it was Ancelotti”

He’s only been in Madrid for a few months as a Real Madrid member but Antonio Riedinger is already settling into a place that feels as familiar as home and Carlo Ancelotti plays a big part in that.

The German central defender revealed this himself in an interview with the German “Sport1” and thus revealed to the public an unknown detail from his first days in the Spanish capital, where he received an unexpected visit from his coach.

“I’ve just been in my new house with my family for a few hours. We were having a barbecue and suddenly the doorbell rang. I opened it and in front of me was Carlo Ancelotti. A moment of surprise. He sat at the table, ate with us and met my family. So simple, so realistic.

He sat there for two hours and we talked about everything. To be honest, I’ve never experienced anything like it, no coach has ever done that for me. After a few months with him, I can say that Ancelotti is unbeatable when it comes to player management.

He’s a coaching legend, he’s been collecting Champions League titles since I was a kid. To work with him now at the most successful club in the world is wonderful.”stressed the ex-Chelsea player before discussing the player he looked up to as a role model in his youth.

“My big role model was Pepe at Real, I always wanted to be like him. I used to watch his videos. I was young, but I also wanted to show that I was tough.

It was amazing how good Pepe was. Not only in the duels, but also in the game preparation. Anyway, now that I’m at Real, everyone tells me he was a quiet character off the field.”