Carlo Ancelotti reveals strange gift he received from Jurgen Klopp

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Jurgen Klopp once gave him an electronic cigarette as a present during his time as Everton manager.

Ancelotti spent a year and a half on Merseyside in charge of the Toffees and enjoyed a historic win over the Reds, as his side earned their first win at Anfield in over 20 years in the league.

Whereas Klopp mostly got the better of the Italian whilst he was in England, Ancelotti’s Real Madrid side broke Liverpool hearts last season as Los Blancos earned a 14th European Cup and the pair are preparing to face off once again in the first knockout round of this year’s competition.

Speaking to GOAL, Ancelotti revealed that the pair have a strong relationship from his time on Merseyside, despite their rivalry in the dugout: “I have a good relationship with Klopp. We stayed for a year and a half in Liverpool during the pandemic, and we used to text each other and exchange gifts. He’s a really lovely person. What kind of gift?! Electronic cigarettes.”

The duo have met 11 times over the course of their careers, but they have only ever managed in the same league when Ancelotti was at Everton. Nonetheless, Klopp has faced him during his time at Napoli, Everton and Real with differing results.

Having first come head-to-head back when Klopp was the Borussia Dortmund manager, his record stands at three wins, three draws and five losses across the 11 contests. Ancelotti enjoyed success with Napoli and Real over Klopp’s Liverpool and will be hoping for that run of form to continue.

Another interesting fact is that the pair were both touted for the vacant Liverpool position back in 2015, with Jamie Carragher commenting at the time that he believed Klopp was the better fit:

“I think with either of those coming to Liverpool, the supporters would be ecstatic,” he said at the time. “If it was me, I would go for Klopp ahead of Ancelotti. I think he’s got more to prove. Ancelotti is a great manager of course, but he’s gone to clubs where you would expect to win trophies.”