Carlo Ancelotti

Spending his entire coaching career in Italy, Ancelotti is one of the most successful and well-respected in the business and signed a three-year deal to join Chelsea in June 2009.

Making his name in Milan, Ancelotti, who made over 100 appearance for the Rossoneri as a player, guided AC Milan to numerous titles, including two Champions League trophies and the prestigious Scudetto establishing himself as a hugely popular figure at the San Siro, before moving to England for a new challenge.

He began his club career with Parma in 1976, but spent just three years there before Roma snapped him up. A tough midfielder, Ancelotti captained Roma to the title in 1983 and also helped the side win the Italian Cup on four occasions.

In 1987, he joined Milan, where he became part of the legendary squad that won consecutive European Cups in 1989 and 1990.

Alongside the likes of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta in defence, Frank Rijkaard and Roberto Donadoni in midfield and Marco van Basten in attack, Ancelotti finished his career on a high and won the Scudetto in 1991-92.

His first coaching job came in 1995 with Serie B squad A.C. Reggiana. He spent just a year with the club, and won them promotion, before moving back to Parma, this time as boss.

Cutting his teeth with the likes of a young Gianluigi Buffon under his care, the Italian did well and proved himself worthy of managing one of the larger Italian sides. Juventus came calling in 1999 and he became the successor of Marcello Lippi at the Old Lady.

Although he did not win a trophy during his two-year stint, twice finishing as runner-up in Serie A, he continued to show his credentials and was hired as a replacement for the sacked Fatih Terim at AC Milan in 2001.

The Rossoneri had been on a trophy-less run themselves, but Ancelotti set them on the right track in his first season leading them to the semi-finals of the 2001-02 UEFA Cup.

His defensive style had drawn criticism from club president Silvio Berlusconi, but he soon changed that and turned Andrea Pirlo into a playmaker, while also reigniting the partnership of Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko.

2003 saw the side travel all the way to the Champions League final in Manchester and beat Juventus on penalties to claim the trophy. They had also picked up the Coppa Italia prize, but the masterstroke of signing Brazilian midfielder Kaka from Sao Paulo the following summer ensured it wouldn't be the end of the success.

In 2003-04, Milan won their first league title since 1999 and finished runners-up behind Juventus in 2004-05 and 2005-06 (although both Scudetti were later wiped from the record books due to Juventus' involvement in the Calciopoli scandal) for the next seasons.

The signing of Kaka for just €8.5m proved to be one of the best ever, but Ancelotti's greatest achievement, however, was picking the club up from their disappointment in the 2005 Champions League final. Leading 3-0 at half time, Milan crumbled and lost on penalties to Liverpool; but returned to face the English side two years later in Athens, winning 2-1.

It was Ancelotti's second Champions League trophy as Milan coach and his fourth title overall, having also won it twice as a player in 1989 and 1990 and he became only the fifth coach in history to achieve this feat.

Continuing to impress with his strong style of man-management, Ancelotti struggled to recreate his success in the subsequent years, but still signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at Milan until 2010.

Chelsea were constantly linked with a move for the Italian and, after Guus Hiddink left the club following an FA Cup final win to return to Russia, only one ''outstanding candidate'' was left.