LoSC have officially appointed Davide Ancelotti as first-team head coach today, with the Italian manager signing a two-year deal with the Ligue 1 club. The 36-year-old, son of Brazil national team boss Carlo Ancelotti, is set to begin another new chapter in his managerial career.
Official announcement details
The club's statement confirmed that Davide Ancelotti will take charge of Lille as first-team coach. The Italian, who has worked at several top clubs, will now take on his first independent head-coaching role in Ligue 1. The two-year contract gives the club a relatively full window for squad building and a tactical overhaul.
Background and the "Ancelotti's son" tag
Davide began his coaching career in 2016 and spent much of the time since working alongside his father, Carlo Ancelotti — at Napoli, Bayern Munich, Everton and Real Madrid, all of which feature on his CV. In 2025, he joined the Brazil national team coaching staff as his father's assistant, a role he still holds.
On the independent management front, he briefly took charge of Botafogo in the Brasileirão last year for around five months. Now embarking on a second spell as a sole head coach, and landing directly in Ligue 1, the pressure and spotlight will be even greater.
Lille's recent form: backdrop to the change
Based on recent results, Lille's form fluctuated during the closing stages of the 2025 Ligue 1 season: a 4-0 away win on Matchday 29, a 0-0 home draw on Matchday 30, 1-0 wins on Matchdays 31 and 33, a 1-1 draw on Matchday 32, and a 0-2 home defeat on Matchday 34. Overall, it was not a collapse, but the final-round loss also exposed a lack of stability at the end of the campaign.
The new head coach will begin work at Decathlon Arena - Stade Pierre-Mauroy (capacity 50,083). The team will need to define its tactical system and selection approach ahead of the new season, particularly in balancing attacking efficiency with defensive transitions.
Key talking point: can he step out of the shadow
The question is clear: Davide Ancelotti’s profile is largely built on his father’s name, yet Lille want a head coach who can deliver results on his own in Ligue 1. His five-month spell at Botafogo is too small a sample; the two-year deal in France will be the real test.
On the positive side, he has spent years working within elite club and national-team coaching setups, so he is no stranger to the tempo management and in-game adjustments demanded by modern football. If he can blend Ancelotti-style steadiness with the strengths of Lille’s current squad, the club still has a chance to establish itself in the upper reaches of Ligue 1.
Three things worth watching going forward: whether summer recruitment aligns with his tactical approach, the starting framework emerging in pre-season, and whether he continues as Brazil’s assistant coach — juggling both roles will be a real test of his energy and focus at the start of the season.