Cristiano Ronaldo was already a goal machine. Karim Benzema was an elite striker. Gareth Bale had just arrived from Tottenham for a world-record fee.
For Paul Clement, who worked alongside Ancelotti at Real Madrid, the answer was not to force them into a rigid system. It was to understand what each player needed to thrive.
“I don't think Carlo had a problem getting them clicking because they got named, didn't they? The BBC. Bale, Benzema, Cristiano,” Clement recalled, speaking to Football Presse.
Clement was there as Ancelotti's assistant as the famous front three began to take shape, and he remembers the thinking behind it.
“The initial thought when Carlo got to the club was Cristiano is a goal machine, needs to play as a striker. But we had Benzema, also a very good striker, and Bale was coming in as well.”
Then came an important conversation.
“Cristiano said to Carlo that he likes actually playing off the left, but coming inside where he can shoot from there or get in at the back post or create assists for people.”
Ancelotti listened.
That decision helped unlock the structure that would go on to become one of the most devastating attacking combinations in modern football.
“We played 4-3-3 offensively. Ronaldo on the left, Benzema through the middle, Bale on the right.”
The clever part, Clement explains, was what happened when Madrid lost possession.
“Defensively, the system changed, and it changed to 4-4-2.”
That allowed Ancelotti to protect Ronaldo's greatest strength: his ability to stay high and attack space rather than spending his energy tracking full-backs.
“Bale had to sacrifice a little bit more and come back and defend on the right of a four-man midfield.”
Isco or Ángel Di María could move across from midfield, while Xabi Alonso and Luka Modrić formed the central pair.
“And it meant that Ronaldo could stay up, could stay forward and be the first line of pressure with Benzema.”
Clement believes that was one of Ancelotti's smartest decisions.
“Because normally what had happened is if you play an offensive full-back on the opposition, he goes very high. Some coaches would say you've got to track him all the way back.
“Carlo didn't want that with Ronaldo. He wanted to keep him as far up the pitch as possible.”
There was, however, a price to be paid elsewhere.
“I think the one that had to sacrifice most was probably Benzema.”
Benzema's willingness to sacrifice himself for Ronaldo was fundamental to the whole arrangement.
“At that time, he was a very, very unselfish striker, team player, a little bit like a [Roberto] Firmino type where he was a goalscorer, yes, but also a big provider.
“Ronaldo couldn't score 51 goals and 60 goals if Benzema wasn't that type of player.”
And the numbers were extraordinary.
Clement was at Madrid during Ronaldo's first two seasons under Ancelotti, when the Portuguese scored 51 goals in the first campaign and an astonishing 60 in the second.
“They're just phenomenal numbers, just incredible.”
But Clement's admiration for Ronaldo goes beyond the statistics.
“The way he's looked after himself over his career — it's not a surprise to me that he's still scoring goals and playing at a good level.”
For Clement, the greatest players distinguish themselves through the sacrifices they are prepared to make.
“They make the sacrifices that I think the majority, like 99%, aren't just willing to do.
“They're not willing to do it because it's boring, it's monotonous, but they manage to do it because they're very, very dedicated to their profession.”
That professionalism was also visible in the dressing room.
“Cristiano was a good teammate. What he was good at is that he understood his job and he understood how to help the team. And that was by scoring goals.”
Even his frustration had a purpose.
“He would get really annoyed if we had won the game, but he hadn't scored.
“It can sound a little bit selfish — we've won but I haven't scored, so I'm not very happy. But no, he didn't see it like that. He saw 'my job is to score, and if I've not scored, I've not helped the team'.”
And behind it all was Ancelotti's ability to manage personalities without trying to dominate them.
“He's never ruled with the iron fist. He's a very humble man, Carlo.
“He's always been very good at managing the dressing room because he's a good communicator and he insists on respect.”
Clement saw that philosophy at work in one of the biggest dressing rooms in world football.
“First, there's a person, and then second, there's a player.”
It was a combination of tactical intelligence and human management that made the BBC work.
“They all scored, they all came up with assists, and the team became very successful.”
For Clement, there is little doubt about the individual who stood above the rest.
“Cristiano is the best talent and player that I ever coached.”
But the achievement was not simply about having three superstars.
It was about finding a way for three exceptional players to become one devastating attacking force — and giving each of them a role in which their strengths could flourish.
As Clement puts it simply: “Carlo got them working.”