Kaladze On 'Great Man' Ancelotti's Support During Personal Tragedy

AC Milan great Kakha Kaladze opens up on the role Carlo Ancelotti played during a traumatic and tragic period of his life in an exclusive interview for our Knowing Carlo podcast.

Kaladze spent eight trophy-laden years with Ancelotti during the Everton manager’s spell in charge at Milan.

While Kaladze was flourishing on the field as part of a team the envy of Europe, he was going through a heartbreaking experience in his personal life after his brother, Levan, was kidnapped in 2001 and found dead four years later.

In a candid Official Everton Podcast interview, Kaladze speaks in depth about the hurt and suffering he felt and how Ancelotti and his Milan teammates helped him to “stand up and carry on”.

“I remember getting the phone call to hear that my brother’s body had been found, that he had been killed,” he says. 

“You can’t find the words to express that feeling. 

“I‘d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Carlo, to the club and to all of the players and everyone involved during such a difficult time.

“Carlo and I would talk a lot. But this was such a horrible thing, that we tried not to speak about it. 

“We would speak about other things. For me, Carlo was a friend. That was the most important thing.”

Listen to Knowing Carlo with Kakha Kaladze below or by clicking here.


Defender Kaladze was part of the AC Milan squad which won the Champions League under Ancelotti in 2003 and 2007.

He explains how the positive environment created in the squad by the legendary manager was central to the team’s success.

Kaladze says: “Carlo took time to get to know us all. Not just as footballers, but as men.

“He’s a calm person and a great man. He created a wonderful atmosphere and feeling of friendship within the dressing room.

“Not every manager can do that and he built a team which went on to win everything.”

Get insight into Carlo Ancelotti the player, the manager and the person by downloading every episode of Knowing Carlo now. 

The exclusive podcast series features interviews with Sven-Goran Eriksson, Michael Ballack, Xabi Alonso, Michael Essien, and more.

Knowing Carlo is available via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud. Or search 'Everton' on your usual podcast app.

To learn more about the Official Everton Podcast, click here.