French Lille signed Italian Davide Ancelotti, the son of the inimitable Carlo, the current Brazilian coach, to supervise him as a successor to former coach Bruno Genesio, according to what was announced on Monday.
Lille will be the 36-year-old’s second experience as a head coach, after a short-lived first with Brazilian club Botafogo, who signed him in July 2025 and then fired him in December after the team finished sixth in the local league.
Davide was known during his work alongside his father, Carlo, whether it was at Paris Saint-Germain in France, where he was physically prepared, or Bayern Munich in Germany, Napoli, Everton in England, Real Madrid in Spain (in two spells), and the Brazilian national team, where he worked as an assistant coach.
“Davide is a great professional who possesses all the qualities and competencies that characterize a modern coach,” Lille president Olivier Loutang said in a statement.
The younger Ancelotti will succeed Lille as an experienced coach in the person of Genesio (59 years old), who built his career in France and led Lille last season to finish third in the local league.
Genesio left Lille after reaching the end of his two-year contract.
In a statement issued by the club on Monday, Ancelotti said: “The Lille project suits me, with a clear identity, high requirements and hard work,” adding: “It is a serious, ambitious and competitive club, and is regularly present on the European scene.”
