Pep and Ancelotti have replaced Cruyff & Sacchi as managers of their generation

AC Milan owner and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi complained when his club signed Carlo Ancelotti in 1987.

'‘We have a conductor who can’t read sheet music,’ he told his coach Arrigo Sacchi. ‘I told him I would teach him to sing in tune,’ Sacchi responded. It turned out Ancelotti was a maestro.

Likewise, Johan Cruyff always had belief in Pep Guardiola even when he was a skinny teenage making little impression.

‘They told me they had a skilful player in the youth team,’ said Cruyff on becoming coach of Barcelona in 1988. ‘So l looked for him the B team, but he wasn’t there. And then I looked for him in the C team, and he wasn’t there either. I asked why and they said: “Oh he’s so small!” I said: “He’ll grow.” And I put him in the first team squad.’

We didn’t know it then but football was being reinvented by these four names, masters and apprentices. Cruyff and Sacchi bestride the modern era, a constant reference for anyone who coaches.

And then, a generation on, you come to this year’s Champions League, kicking off tonight, assess the contenders and conclude it is likely to be a contest between Manchester City and Real Madrid, between Ancelotti and Guardiola. Pep versus Carlo.

Greatness is bestowed on those that dominate Europe, not domestic leagues. That is why Guardiola’s Manchester City can only now enter that debate.

The Real Madrid team nicknamed Quinta de Buitre – the Vulture Squad - won five Spanish titles in a row but never the European Cup and were taken apart by Sacchi’s AC Milan, losing 5-0 in the 1989 European Cup semi final. The first goal-scorer of that definitive game, showcasing Sacchi’s tactical superiority over the world? Ancelotti.

You might of another more recent semi-final with which to