Carlo Ancelotti said that it was football’s emotion which kept him going after 48 years in the game when the Real Madrid CF coach was voted The Best FIFA Men's Coach 2024 in Doha, Qatar. Meanwhile, Emma Hayes said it was "an incredible accolade" as she was voted The Best FIFA Women's Coach for a second time after leading Chelsea FC Women to the Women's Super League (WSL) title in England and the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) to the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024 gold medal within the space of a few weeks.

Ancelotti, runner-up in 2022, went one better this time as he topped the 2024 vote which was weighted equally between fans, the current captains and coaches of all women’s and men’s national teams and media representatives.

"I started as a professional player in 1976 - 48 years in football - and football has given to me and is giving me a lot of emotion. Most of the time positive, sometimes negative. But emotion is the only reason that after 48 years, I’m still alive," he said.

The 65-year-old Italian has won a remarkable haul of trophies in his coaching career including a record five UEFA Champions League titles (two with AC Milan and three with Real Madrid CF), and league titles in each of Spain, Italy, England, Germany and France.

“I'm really honoured to receive this award. I want to thank FIFA, of course - President Gianni Infantino - and I want to share this with my club, of course, Real Madrid, my President, Florentino Pérez, (who) gave me the opportunity to be the manager of the best club in the world. I have to share (it) with my players that not always, but sometimes listen to me. I have to say thanks, to share (it) with my family: my wife Mariann, (who) supports me with peace and love.”

Hayes capped her 12-year stint with Chelsea FC Women by leading them to a fifth successive WSL title in May 2024 and her seventh at the club. She then took over the USWNT a few days later and led them to Olympic Gold in Paris in August 2024.

“It’s an unbelievable accolade and one that I never take for granted. It’s been an amazing year, so I feel really honoured and privileged to receive the award. I suppose looking back earlier in the year, that end to that season with Chelsea was so dramatic,” she said.

“It’s the stuff dreams are made of. I’ve said it so many times: I’ve dreamt of being at the Olympic Games and it was such a beautiful summer in France and Paris. And to win the Olympic gold medal, I think ranks up there as my biggest achievement in my career, but one that was so enjoyable,” added Hayes, who also won The Best FIFA Women’s Coach award in 2021 and was runner-up in 2023. “It was a great summer. The players really did an incredible job to take on everything that I asked of them and to deliver in the way they did, considering we’re still a relatively young squad, was a fabulous achievement.”

The 48-year-old said she had enjoyed the transition to national team football. “I often say that coaching internationally is like being a grandparent, where you get them for 10 days and you get to enjoy the qualities of the players and then you send them back to their parent club,” she said.

Hayes is already looking forward to the possibility of leading the US to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, the first time the tournament will be staged in South America.

“I mean who doesn’t look forward to getting the opportunity to take the US women’s national team to Brazil?” she added. “As far as I’m concerned, as much as football was invented in England… (Brazil) is a special country with a special culture and a love for football, so to have the (FIFA) Women’s World Cup™ there I think is an incredible opportunity.”