Carlo Ancelotti: 'I kicked a box and it hit Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the head'

The former AC Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain boss admitted the incident while saying “I never use the whip” in the interview with the Daily Mail.

While Ancelotti is normally seen as a calm, calculated manager, he recalled that after seeing his PSG side beaten in a cup tie with Evian in April 2013 he lost his temper with Ibrahimovic notably on the receiving end.

“They have said you have to use the whip. I say find another manager. I never use the whip," Ancelotti told the Mail.

“Not as a manager and not as a father. I have lost my temper, of course.

Fortunately for Ancelotti, his star player took the blow well and he compared it to the famous boot-kicking incident between Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham at Manchester United.

“It was more or less the same as Ferguson and the boot with Beckham," he said. "But we laughed about it afterwards.

“I never used the whip because in my life nobody ever used the whip against me. Not my father, not my school teacher, not my manager. I don't believe in it.”

These quotes provide a nice insight into how Ancelotti strives to operate with his players and explains a great deal as to why he is always so popular with them. He may not believe in the "whip", but the fact that he admits to losing his cool on occasions shows that he has the passion he is sometimes accused of lacking. Ancelotti has a reputation for being a 'player's coach' and that comes through very clearly with the added line that he "laughed about it afterwards" with Ibrahimovic. Frankly, this interview with the Italian just leaves you wanting additional insight from him.