CARLO ANCELOTTI has revealed how Ashley Cole organised an unforgettable night out with the rest of Chelsea’s players after his final game in charge.
The Everton boss remains a popular figure at the Blues after lifting the Premier League and the FA Cup during his first season at Stamford Bridge.
However, the Italian failed to replace his success in the following campaign and was sacked and replaced by Andres Villas-Boas after the 2010-2011 season.
Ancelotti returns to west London in charge of Everton this weekend, ironically the team he suffered a 1-0 defeat to during his last Chelsea game.
And speaking to Jamie Carragher in an interview for The Telegraph, he reminisced about how Cole sparked a huge night out to say farewell.
Ancelotti said: “All the squad was there.
“I knew it was going to be the last game and I had friends from Italy over.
“On the bus home, the players knew I was sacked and Ashley Cole said we must go out. I said no because I had ten friends visiting. We are having dinner at my house.
“But Ashley was, ‘ No, no, they must all come. I will send you a bus ’. So he sent a minibus to get us. It was unforgettable.”
Ancelotti’s sacking summed up the brutal nature of Roman Abramovich’s first decade at the club, as winning the club’s first-ever double wasn’t enough to spare him from the boot 12 months later.
Yet the ex-Napoli manager insisted that he got on well with the Russian billionaire and has nothing but good memories of Chelsea.
He added: “I remember every day I was at Chelsea.
“It was a good time, a fantastic period with fantastic staff and unbelievable players.
“I had and I still have a good relationship with Roman Abramovich. He gave me the chance to manage in England and it was one of the best teams I ever managed.”
