Real Madrid have just announced Carlo Ancelotti as their next manager.

In an unbelievably quick turn of events, the legendary Italian coach has gone from managing in the upper mid-table sections of the Premier League to leading one of Europe's biggest ever clubs.

Having gone through his first full season with Everton, everything looked set for Ancelotti to build on his promising project at Goodison Park, but clearly Los Blancos had other ideas.

Real Madrid hire Ancelotti

On the back of Zinedine Zidane bowing out as Real Madrid manager for the second time in three years, Ancelotti has been unveiled as his replacement for a sophomore spell at the club.

The Italian had previously managed in the Spanish capital for the 2013/14 and 2014/15 campaigns, achieving the long-coveted 'La Decima' with Champions League glory in his opening year. 

But having been sacked just 12 months later, it looked unlikely that Ancelotti would ever return to the club, particularly when the 61-year-old has never revisited any of his former roles previously.

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Ancelotti waves goodbye to Everton

However, it's clear that Florentino Perez wants to give Ancelotti a second crack of the whip at the Bernabeu with Everton and Real revealing the remarkable deal on Tuesday afternoon.

Ancelotti told Everton in an official statement: “I would like to thank the Board of Directors, the players, and the Evertonians for the tremendous support they have all given me during my time at the Club.

“I have complete respect for everyone associated with Everton and hope they can achieve the exciting opportunities they have in front of them.

“While I have enjoyed being at Everton I have been presented with an unexpected opportunity which I believe is the right move for me and my family at this time.”

Real Madrid unveil Ancelotti

By contrast, Real kept their trademark 'Comunicado Oficial' to a minimum, simply stating: "Real Madrid C. F. announces that Carlo Ancelotti will be the club's first-team coach for the next three seasons.

"The ceremonial signing of the contract will take place tomorrow with club president Florentino Pérez at Real Madrid City, after which Ancelotti will address the media from 6pm (CET) in an online press conference."

Seeing Ancelotti back in the Bernabeu dugout will certainly take some getting used to, but with his proven pedigree of winning trophies at the club, Madristas have good reason to be optimistic.

And it's also an opportunity for Ancelotti to prove that he's still amongst the best head coaches in the sport having fallen out of the conversation during his tenures at Napoli and Everton.

However, it certainly won't be easy with his new squad lacking the quality of a 'La Decima' side that boasted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Iker Casillas and Xabi Alonso.

Many world-class players remain, it must be said, but can Ancelotti return them to the purple patch that saw them sweeping up Champions League trophies? We'll just have to wait and see.