In brief
The top 10 leagues in Europe have disclosed and ranked their longest-serving managers.
Pep Guardiola, who spent more than 3,000 days at Manchester City, and Mikel Arteta are both on the list.
The longest-serving manager joined his present team in September 2007 and has been there for 17 years.
There are many different types of football managers, but when it comes to comparing them to one another, the latter is arguably the most intriguing. Although a number of head coaches, each unique in their own right, have stepped up and cleared the path for aspiring hotshots to try their hand at managing a team, the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who are by far the greatest managers to have worked for a club for the longest, are long gone.
In a competitive world where football teams constantly aim to have the best players, the most luxurious stadiums, and the most prestigious trophy cabinet, there is only one man in charge of making many decisions that have an impact on the club’s internal operations: the manager, who is frequently referred to as the cornerstone of any successful team. However, there are some unknowns associated with that. Nowadays, managers frequently live in constant worry that they might be the next to lose their P45 if poor performance and/or behavior become the norm.
Even though some football teams are notoriously impatient (Chelsea, for example), there are still a few that cherish loyalty despite hardship. These are the ten managers with the longest tenures in Europe’s top five leagues, based on data released by Transfermarkt.
10Manuel Pellegrini – Real Betis
Total time at club: Four years, eight months
Manuel Pellegrini, the former manager of Manchester City, comes in at number 10. The 72-year-old, who has been at Real Betis since the summer of 2020, is the only Chilean manager to have ever held a managerial position in the Premier League. Almost five years have passed since he was hired by the team, and he has performed admirably thus far.
Pellegrini has managed the team’s run for European football and Antony’s comeback this season. He has presided over 248 games so far, winning 119 of them. Right now, Betis is only one point away from qualifying for the Champions League, and the manager has been essential to their progress.
The Managerial Record of Manuel Pellegrini
Club
Betis Real
Designated
July 9, 2020
Matches
248
Gains
119
Draws
60
Losses
69
Points for each game
1.68
9Rogier Meijer – NEC Nijmegen
Total time at club: Four years, 10 months
The Eredivisie has often been a hotbed for young, promising managers, with plenty finding their feet coaching some of the Netherlands’ premier teams. Rogier Meijer is one man who has devoted a great deal of time to perfecting his craft within the division.
After earning his living as a player in his own nation, the 43-year-old decided to pursue coaching in 2019. He started off as NEC Nijmegen’s assistant manager before taking over as manager in June 2020, just over a year later. He may now be prepared for the next phase of his career after playing in 189 games over almost five years.
Meijer Rogier’s Managerial History
Club
Nijmegen NEC
Designated
June 2, 2020
Matches
189
Gains
76
Draws
45
Losses
68
Points for each game
1.44
8Mikel Arteta – Arsenal
Total time at club: Five years, eight months
It hasn’t always been easy sailing between Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. The difficult period early in his career, when many were prepared to sever relations with the Spaniard in the hopes that someone else could lead them back to the Premier League’s top, will be too vividly remembered by supporters. How fortunate they are that the club’s leadership chose not to take that decision.
Despite not having yet returned the Premier League trophy back to the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal finished second in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 and appears to be on track to do so again. Arteta is mostly responsible for that. He just received a contract extension, making him one of the most paid managers in the Premier League and one of the brightest minds in the game today. He will be getting close to eight years at the Emirates if he completes that term.
The managerial record of Mikel Arteta
Club
The Arsenal
Designated
December 22, 2019
Matches
283
Gains
170
Draws
49
Losses
64
Points for each game
1.98
7Imanol Alguacil – Real Sociedad
Total time at club: six years, four months
Imanol Alguacil, the manager of Real Sociedad, was hired at the Reale Arena in December 2018 and is the first person to reach the six-year milestone. In the 325 games that have since followed, Sociedad has risen significantly in the standings to consistently contend for European qualifying.
Alguacil has only one prize to show for his years of service in the dugout, and that is the Spanish Super Cup, which he won during the 2019–20 campaign. Even though 2024–2025 hasn’t gone as planned, the guy who has been so devoted to La Real deserves some time to get things back on track.
Managerial Record of Imanol Alguacil
Club
Actual Society
Designated
December 27, 2018
Matches
325
Gains
152
Draws
81
Losses
92
Points for each game
1.65
6Thomas Frank – Brentford
Total time at club: Six years, five months
Brentford is undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s best-run teams, and Danish tactician Frank has been a key component of the genius that has emerged from west London. He has transformed the Bees into a new beast and solidified their status as one of the top tier teams in England.
Frank had a stellar 1.52 points per game record from his 280 games in the dugout at the G-Tech Community stadium, despite being named the worst Premier League manager in terms of playing career. Brentford should have a good chance of staying in the Premier League as long as they can hold onto him.
The Managerial Record of Thomas Frank
Club
Brentford
Designated
October 16, 2018
Matches
312.
Gains
133
Draws
70
Losses
109
Points for each game
1.50
5Jindrich Trpisovsky – Slavia Prague
Total time at club: Seven years, three months
Jindrich Trpisovsky has kept Slavia Prague as one of the leading forces in Czech Republic football and is among the most trophy-winning managers on this list. Under his leadership, they have played in Europe on a regular basis and participated in the Champions League this season, consistently competing against rivals Sparta Prague and Viktoria Plzen at the top of the division.
Without a doubt, Trpisovsky’s greatest accomplishment in his current position is winning the league championship three times in a row from 2018 to 2021. His tenure at the Fortuna Arena has undoubtedly been successful, as seen by the addition of four domestic cups to the cabinet during his tenure.
Managerial History of Jindrich Trpisovsky
Club
Prague Slavia
Designated
January 1, 2018
Matches
372
Gains
248
Draws
65
Losses
59
Points for each game
2.17
4Pep Guardiola – Manchester City
Total time at club: Eight years, nine months
Pep Guardiola’s impact on the history of the sport is equaled only by Sir Alex Ferguson, the hero of Manchester United. That is all there is to it. During his 3,000 days in command, the Spaniard has led Manchester City to every club accolade imaginable. He is fortunate to have managed Europe’s dominant teams, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
The Spaniard has turned an already outstanding team into a formidable football potential who can stop the best teams in the world, as seen by their treble-winning exploits. Perhaps City would still have been the team to defeat if it weren’t for Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, and more recently, Erling Haaland. However, things may have turned out quite differently if they hadn’t been led by the best manager in the game at the moment.
The managerial track record of Pep Guardiola
Club
City of Manchester
Designated
July 1, 2016
Matches
524
Gains
377
Draws
66
Losses
81
Points for each game
2.28
3Gian Piero Gasperini – Atalanta
Total time at club: Eight years, nine months
Gian Piero Gasperini is only a few days ahead of Guardiola. Known in Serie A for having the longest continuous coaching tenure at Atalanta, the coach’s most memorable tenure as manager was four years, from 2019 to 2023, during which he guided La Dea to their highest-ever domestic finish and Champions League qualifying.
Gasperini has been there to supervise significant progress, taking the team from one that was doing everything it could to avoid relegation to one that was vying for supremacy in Serie A. Atalanta placed 13th when he arrived, but they have subsequently failed to place in the second half of the league, demonstrating the 65-year-old’s enduring impact.
The managerial record of Gian Piero Gasperini
Club
Atlanta
Designated
June 14, 2016
Matches
435
Gains
225
Draws
101
Losses
109
Points for each game
1.78
2Diego Simeone – Atletico Madrid
Total time at club: 13 years, three months
An expert in the dark arts. Diego Simeone, who has led Atletico Madrid for an impressive 13 years, is not only the highest paid manager in Spain by a wide margin, but he is also among the most renowned because of his dynamic touchline displays and for making his team from the Spanish capital one of the best in Europe.
The Argentine has been an ideal servant to the Madrid-based team, and his name will always be ingrained in their folklore, despite frequently being in the shadow of their cross-city rivals, Real Madrid. What a man Simeone is, having won two La Liga crowns and two Champions League finals. The club would be difficult to envision without him.
Diego Simeone’s record as manager
Club
Real Madrid
Designated
December 23, 2011
Matches
7:30
Gains
432
Draws
158
Losses
140
Points for each game
1.99
1Frank Schmidt – FC Heidenheim
Total time at club: 17 years, six months
Although having led FC Heidenheim for 17 years is a significant accomplishment, Schmidt’s connection to the team goes beyond that. He was born in the city and played more than 100 games for his former team, Heidenheimer SB, where he was proud to captain them to the fifth division.
It’s safe to say that his legacy is knitted into the very fine fabric of the club, having led them to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history and then into the Europa Conference League the very next year. Even if Schmidt’s record-breaking success story started as a temporary fix and could have ended quite differently, there is no denying the relationship he has with the German side. Unfortunately, they say that the rest is history.
Frank Schmidt’s Record as Manager
Club
Heidenheim FC
Designated
September 17, 2007
Matches
704
Gains
329
Draws
165
Losses
210
Points for each game
1.64
