Ancelotti now stands at the summit of the game after leading Real Madrid to victory in the Champions League and LaLiga last season.
He said at the 'Mexico Siglo XXI' event: "I didn't always think about being a coach. One day at Milan, Sacchi told me 'the day you stop playing I would like you to be my assistant'. He was a football genius.
"He changed the methodology. He was a great teacher. He gave me a lot, like Eriksson. The important thing is knowledge. When you start you don't have experience. You can't buy it. It comes with time, but not knowledge. Passion and curiosity are important. There is always something you can learn."
On his calm approach to management, Ancelotti also said: "You have to always be positive on the bench because you have to talk to the players. It's not true that I'm always calm. I rarely get angry, but when I do I go quite crazy. The horse has two ways to jump: with the whip or with the carrot. It jumps in both ways. You have to choose. If you hit it with the whip it can then knock you down from behind, if you hit it with the carrot it helps you."