Real Madrid Will Never Play With Less Than 72 Hours Rest Again – Ancelotti
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has had enough! After a grueling schedule that pushed his team to the limit, the legendary coach made it clear that Los Blancos will never play another match without at least 72 hours of rest.
Wednesday night, Madrid battled Atletico in a nerve-wracking Champions League clash, which ended in penalties. Fast forward to Saturday, and they were back on the pitch again, grinding out a 2-1 victory over Villarreal. That’s barely time to breathe, let alone recover!
“I think today is the last time we will play a game before 72 hours (of rest),” Ancelotti told reporters. “We asked La Liga twice to change the game time, but nothing happened. This is the last time.”
And honestly, who can blame him? Playing elite-level football demands peak physical and mental sharpness. Anything less than 72 hours of recovery? That’s just asking for injuries and burnout.
Even FIFA backs this up. The governing body recommends at least 72 hours between matches to keep players fit and firing. Yet, despite their efforts to get the schedule adjusted, Madrid’s concerns were ignored.
But Ancelotti is standing firm—no more rushed turnarounds. No more last-minute scrambles. It’s about protecting the squad and maintaining top performance levels.
Despite the exhaustion, Madrid still delivered. French superstar Kylian Mbappe bagged two goals, helping his team climb to the top of La Liga, at least until Barcelona’s showdown with Atletico. Talk about resilience!
Ancelotti, however, knows his players can’t keep running on fumes. The calendar is already jam-packed between La Liga, the Champions League, and the expanded Club World Cup in the U.S. this summer. The boss has spoken, and Madrid is drawing the line 72 hours or nothing.
With Ancelotti making such a bold statement, will La Liga take notice? Will other clubs join the fight for fair scheduling? One thing’s for sure: Real Madrid is done playing catch-up, and their demand for proper recovery time is here to stay.
