“Nobody is perfect, not even me and I’m very handsome” - Carlo Ancelotti uses hilarious analogy to pinpoint Real Madrid star’s weakness
Carlo Ancelotti knew how to soften the blow when pointing out Real Madrid goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga's weakness in public.
Arrizabalaga was signed on loan from Chelsea this summer to deputize for the injured Thibaut Courtois. The Spanish goalkeeper expectedly started his team's UEFA Champions League group-stage clash against Napoli on Tuesday (3 October).
Arrizabalaga's positioning was brought under the scanner in the 19th minute of the game after he failed to deal with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's corner kick. The 29-year-old came to punch it out but ended up completely missing it, leading to Leo Skiri Ostigard's opening goal.
Vinicius Junior leveled the scoreline eight minutes later after some neat work inside the box by Jude Bellingham. The provider turned scorer a few minutes later, dancing past Napoli's defense to score a wonderful solo goal.
Napoli equalized nine minutes after the restart through a Piotr Zielinski penalty. The Poland international gave Arrizabalaga no chance as his shot smashed onto the post and into the goal.
Federico Valverde then made the difference for Real Madrid, with his 25-yard shot resulting in an unfortunate own goal from Alex Meret. The ball struck the bar before hitting the Napoli goalkeeper on his head to result in the visitor's winning goal.
After the game, 'Don Carlo' was asked to give his verdict on Arrizabalaga, to which the Italian manager hilariously replied (h/t MadridXtra on X):
"Sometimes Kepa struggles with crosses because he isn't very tall, but nobody is perfect. Not even me and I'm very handsome (laughs)."
The 1.88-meter tall goalkeeper has made eight appearances so far for Real Madrid, conceding seven times and keeping four clean sheets.
Carlo Ancelotti continues praising Real Madrid superstar after Napoli heroics
Jude Bellingham's €103 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer already seems to be paying dividends for Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old was crucial in his team's 3-2 Champions League win against Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Such is his maturity that a coach of Carlo Ancelotti's stature believes he is playing at a level far beyond his years.
After the win against his former side, the Italian tactician said (h/t @MadridUniversal on X):
"It surprises me that Bellingham is 20. It seems he is 30 because of his maturity."
A tweet by Fabrizio Romano mentions that Bellingham has already racked up six Player of the Match awards in just nine appearances across competitions for Los Blancos. During that time, he has scored eight times and laid out three assists.
Ancelotti claimed earlier this season that Bellingham would fill the void left by Karim Benzema's exit. So far, the former AC Milan manager is proving to be spot-on with his prediction.