In summary, three current managers were selected from a list of the best 15 football managers in history.
Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, and Carlo Ancelotti have all had successful managerial careers in the twenty-first century.
Football visionaries like Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels have spots in the top five.
Football fans enjoy a good argument, and few conversations are more complex than those centred on the best manager in history. It’s difficult enough to determine who the greatest football player of all time is, but it’s even more difficult to analyse a head coach’s influence on their squad from the outside.
Managers now serve as the team’s public face rather than just a de facto secretary. Even the players running about on the pitch can occasionally be dwarfed by the figure policing the boundaries of their technical area.
There have been creative thinkers and independent thinkers, kindhearted people and crafty plotters. Every kind of coach has contributed to the rich tapestry of the beautiful game. From the contemporary achievements of Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti to the trailblazers who have influenced a long line of powerful managers, here is a look back at the greatest to have ever done it.
Ranking Elements Trophies
Lifespan
Play style: Legacy Influence
The All-Time Greatest Football Managers
Rank
Supervisor
Duration of Career
One
Alex Ferguson, sir
1974–2013
2.
Michels Rinus
From 1965 to 1992
3.
Guardiola, Pep
From 2007 to the present
4.
Cruyff, Johan
From 1985 to 1996
5.
Herrera, Helenio
1945–1981
6.
Shankly, Bill
1949–1974
7.
Ancelotti, Carlo
From 1995 to the present
8.
Happel Ernst
1962–1992
9.
Sir Matt Busby
1945–1971
10.
Trapattoni Giovanni
1974–2013
11.
Sacchi Arrigo
From 1982 to 2001
Twelve
Mourinho, Jose
From 2000 to the present
13.
Clough, Brian
From 1965 to 1993
14
Lobanovskyi, Valeriy
From 1968 to 2001
15.
Vicente del Bosque
1987–2016
15 Vicente del Bosque, manager of the all-conquering Spanish team and winner of the Double Champions League
Vicente del Bosque won five La Liga titles and four Copa del Rey trophies while playing for Real Madrid, with the exception of a few loan stints. He then had a fantastic coaching career with Los Blancos. Between 1999 and 2003, Del Bosque led Real Madrid to two La Liga wins and two Champions League championships.
Madrid went four years without winning another trophy after, oddly, choosing not to extend Del Bosque’s contract when it expired in 2003. The regal coach had a short vacation from playing football after joining Besiktas, but he later returned to manage Spain’s national side, leading them to victories at both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
List of Vicente del Bosque Honours
Group
Titles
Real Madrid
La Liga x 2, Copa Iberoamericana, Intercontinental Cup, Spanish Super Cup, and Champions League x 2
Spain
European Championship, World Cup
14 Valeriy Lobanovskyi, the innovator and legend of Dynamo Kyiv
Many football fans may not recognise Valeriy Lobanovskyi, but he is one of the most renowned managers in history. The steely drill sergeant won more than 30 trophies while coaching in his native Russia or Ukraine for the great majority of his career. During his first two stints as Dynamo Kyiv’s manager, Lobanovskyi achieved eight Soviet league titles and six Soviet cups. He then returned for a third tenure, winning five Ukrainian titles and three Ukrainian cups.
As one of the first managers to use a scientific and analytical approach to football, Lobanovskyi also frequently led Dynamo to the European Cup’s final stages, which had historically been dominated by Western European sides. Lobanovskyi led the Soviet Union to second place at Euro 1988 and guided them in a number of international competitions.
List of Honours for Valeriy Lobanovskyi
Group
Titles
Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro
First League of the Soviet Union
Kiev Dynamo
Ukrainian Cup x 3, Ukrainian National League x 5, European Cup Winners’ Cup x 2, Commonwealth of Independent States Cup x 3, Soviet Top League x 8, Soviet Cup x 6, and Soviet Super Cup x 3.
Kuwait
The Arabian Gulf Cup
13 Brian Clough and Nottingham Forest won the European Cup twice.
Given that he led Nottingham Forest to two European Cups—more than Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur combined—Brian Clough is admired for his charisma as much as his managerial accomplishments. Many people consider Clough’s accomplishments with Derby County and Forest to be among the best in English football history.
Three years after Derby was promoted from the Second Division, Clough led the squad with little previous success to the First Division title in 1972. Clough won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, four League Cups, and another top-flight title in 1978 just a year after being promoted to Forest, where he remained from 1975 until 1993.
List of Honours for Brian Clough
Group
Titles
Derby
Texaco Cup, Watney Cup, First Division, and Second Division
Forest of Nottingham
First Division, Community Shield, Anglo-Scottish Cup, European Super Cup, League Cup, European Cup, and two Full Members Cups
12 The pragmatic Jose Mourinho emerged victorious.
Jose Mourinho retired at the age of 24 to concentrate on coaching because his playing career never really took off. It was time for Mourinho to carve out his own career after serving as an assistant to Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal at Barcelona. After stints with Benfica and Uniao de Leiria, the Portuguese made his announcement to the world with his incredible success as Porto’s manager.
After winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004, Mourinho went on to have successful stints at Chelsea and Inter Milan, winning another European Cup with the latter. His practical approach did not always garner praise, but it did bring him pots of silver. Although many managers now prefer more expansive approaches, Mourinho’s tactics no longer provide the same results, and few of those coaches will ever be able to boast a CV like his.
Jose Mourinho’s List of Honours
Group
Titles
Porto
Champions League, UEFA Cup, Primeira Liga x 2, Supertaca and Taca de Portugal Oliveira Candido
Chelsea
Community Shield, League Cup x 3, FA Cup, and Premier League x 3
Milan Inter
Champions League, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, and Serie A x 2
Real Madrid
Copa del Rey, La Liga, and Supercopa de Espana
United Manchester
Community Shield, League Cup, and Europa League
Roma
League of Conferences
11 Arrigo Sacchi, manager of Milan’s legendary team in the late 1980s
Prior to becoming a manager, Arrgo Sacchi worked as a shoe salesman and was never a professional football player. After being hired by AC Milan in 1987, a journalist questioned his credentials. He cleverly responded, “I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first.”
His Milan club played with a fluidity rarely seen before, especially in Italy, and Sacchi is considered one of the most inventive tacticians of all time. Sacchi was a strong supporter of the high-pressing tactics that Dutchman Rinus Michels is generally credited with inventing in the 1970s, even though Italian clubs at the time placed more of an emphasis on defence than offence.
Milan went on to win back-to-back European Cups in 1989 and 1990 after winning the Scudetto in Sacchi’s first season as manager. Many people consider Sacchi’s Milan team to be among the best club teams ever, and he led Italy to second place in the 1994 World Cup.
List of Arrigo Sacchi Honours
Group
Titles
Parma.
Serie C1
Milan AC
Supercoppa Italiana, Serie A, European Cup twice, European Super Cup twice, and Intercontinental Cup thrice
10 Giovanni Trapattoni, the Serie A champion
Giovanni Trapattoni’s five-year tenure as manager of the Republic of Ireland national team may be the primary reason British Isles football fans under a particular age remember him. Although Trapattoni performed admirably in that position with few resources, his accomplishments with Ireland would never be able to compete with those of his early management career.
Trapattoni’s two stints with Juventus, when he won six top-flight titles, two Italian Cups, and the 1985 European Cup, accounted for the most of his managerial success. In addition, Trapattoni won league championships with Red Bull Salzburg, Benfica, Bayern Munich, and Inter Milan.
List of Giovanni Trapattoni’s Honours
Group
Titles
Juventus
Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, Uefa Cup x 2, European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Coppa Italia x 2, Serie A x 6
Milan Inter
Supercoppa Italiana, Serie A, and the Uefa Cup
The Bayern Munich
DFB-Ligapokal, DFB-Pokal, and Bundesliga
Benfica
Liga Premeira
Salzburg Red Bull
Bundesliga Austrian
Ireland’s Republic
The Nations Cup
9 Sir Matt Busby, a Manchester United great who brought the team back to life following the Munich disaster
Although Sir Matt Busby played for Manchester City and Liverpool for the majority of his career, his most well-known accomplishments are as a manager at Manchester United. Busby placed a strong focus on nurturing academy players, and his team’s success in the 1950s gave them the moniker “The Busby Babes” due to their youthfulness.
After winning consecutive First Division titles in 1956 and 1957, the Busby Babes were vying for a third when tragedy struck. The Munich Air Disaster in 1958 claimed the lives of 23 individuals, including eight United players. During his hospital stay, Busby was read the final rites twice and sustained severe injuries.
After the catastrophe, Busby wanted to resign because he felt bad about defying the English Football League’s demands by pushing that United play in the European tournament. But his wife persuaded him to stay, and he rebuilt the club. After winning the FA Cup in 1963, United went on to win more First Division titles in 1965 and 1967. Then, in 1968, Busby led United to their first-ever European Cup.
List of Sir Matt Busby’s Honours
Group
Titles
United Manchester
Community Shield x 5, European Cup x 5, First Division x 5
8 Ernst Happel won the European Cup with Feyenoord and Hamburg.
Ernst Happel led Feyenoord and Hamburg to victories in 1970 and 1983, respectively, making him the only manager to win the European Cup with two separate teams. Along with winning league titles with the Dutch team Feyenoord, the German team Hamburg, the Belgian team Club Brugge, and the Austrian team Swarovski Tirol, Happel is one of just six managers to have accomplished this feat.
With the Netherlands, Happel made his foray into international management and led them to second place at the 1978 World Cup. Happel was only in command of his home country of Austria for a few months before passing away from lung cancer in 1992, but his commitment to the game resulted in the Ernst Happel Stadium being christened in his honour.
List of Ernst Happel Honours
Group
Titles
Den Haag, ADO
The Dutch Cup
The Feyenoord
European Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and Eredivisie
Brugge Club
Three Belgian Cups and the Belgian Championship
Liege Standard
The Belgian Cup
Hamburg
Bundesliga x 2, DFB-Pokal, European Cup
Tirol Swarovski
Austrian Cup thrice, Austrian Championship
Seven-time Champions League champion Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti, one of several Italian managers on this list, is the most successful coach in the history of the European Cup. Having claimed two when managing AC Milan and three while managing Real Madrid, the modest statesman now owns five of them.
With victories with AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Madrid, and Bayern Munich, the Madrid manager is also the only manager in history to have won the top flight in each of Europe’s top five leagues. In addition to being a great man-manager, Ancelotti is well-known for his tactical adaptability, having produced outstanding results wherever he has gone regardless of the players at his disposal.
List of Honours for Carlo Ancelotti
Group
Titles
Juventus
The Intertoto Cup
Milan AC
Champions League twice, Uefa Super Cup twice, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, and FIFA Club World Cup
Chelsea
Community Shield, FA Cup, and Premier League
Saint-Germain, Paris
Ligue 1
Real Madrid
FIFA Intercontinental Cup x 2, La Liga x 2, Copa del Rey x 2, Supercopa de Espana x 2, Champions League x 3, Uefa Super Cup x 2, FIFA Club World Cup x 2,
The Bayern Munich
Bundesliga and the DFL Supercup twice
6. Bill Shankly
The individual who established the groundwork for Liverpool’s triumph
Although he may not have won as many titles for Liverpool as his successor, Bob Paisley, Billy Shankly was largely in charge of making the Merseyside team the power they are today on a global scale. During his tenure as manager of Liverpool from 1959 to 1974, Shankly led the team to promotion from the Second Division and three First Division titles, two FA Cups, and a UEFA Cup.
Despite his outstanding managerial accolades, he is not renowned for the trophies he has won. Shankly understood the value of Liverpool’s supporters and established a relationship with them that is a vital component of the team’s identity to this day.
List of Honours for Bill Shankly
Group
Titles
Liverpool
Community Shield x 3, FA Cup x 2, UEFA Cup x 2, and First Division x 3
5. Helenio Herrera, the first well-known manager in football
Helenio Herrera, who started his management career in 1945, was among the first football tacticians. During his most noteworthy stints, he won numerous league titles with Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Inter Milan.
Herrera used a defensive approach and won two European Cups with Inter. He was also possibly the first manager in football history to receive recognition for his team’s performance at the Nerazzurri. The majority of praise for the team’s accomplishments used to go to the players, but under Herrera, Inter became known as “Herrera’s Inter,” highlighting the manager’s impact on their style of play.
List of Honours for Helenio Herrera
Group
Titles
Real Madrid
La Liga x 2, Eva Duarte Copa
Barcelona
La Liga x 2, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup x 2, Copa del Rey x 2
Milan Inter
Serie A three times, the European Cup twice, and the Intercontinental Cup twice
Roma
Anglo-Italian Cup, Coppa Italia
4 Johan Cruyff’s biggest impact on modern football
The majority of the time, outstanding players don’t make excellent managers. However, Johan Cruyff is regarded as one of the greatest managers and players of all time respectively. Cruyff won 14 trophies during his brief but successful top-level managerial career, including the 1992 European Cup. His tenures as manager of Ajax and Barcelona together lasted barely 11 years.
Few, if any, managers have had a greater influence on contemporary football tactics than Cruyff, despite the fact that many have won more trophies than the Dutchman. Cruyff developed the Total Football method while playing for Ajax and Barcelona under Rinus Michels, who invented it. He placed a heavy focus on winning with style and was among the first managers to start choosing smaller, more technical players over stronger, more physically fit ones.
Cruyff is one of the reasons football has become such a popular form of entertainment. He influenced a generation of future managers, notably Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola, who played under him at Barcelona. There is scarcely a more fitting legacy for him.
List of Johan Cruyff Honours
Group
Titles
Ajax
European Cup Winners’ Cup x 2 KNVB Cup
Barcelona
European Cup, Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana x 2, La Liga x 4, and European Super Cup
3. Pep Guardiola is a superb tactician and unwavering victor.
Pep Guardiola would not have existed without Cruyff. A similar statement will likely be made about Guardiola and one of the numerous managers he has impacted over the last fifteen or so years.
With 15 years of senior managerial experience, including stints with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola is the best manager of this generation and has won 12 league titles. Only Ancelotti can claim more European Cup victories than he has.
His Barcelona team from 2008 to 2012 is regarded by many football fans as the best of all time, and their style of play started a change in how football is played at the highest level worldwide. Guardiola is an admiration to many young managers, and several of his teammates and staff have gone on to manage some of the world’s most prestigious clubs.
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Guardiola has had some of the top managers in the game, such as Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta.
Pep Guardiola’s List of Honours
Group
Titles
Barcelona
Champions League x 2, Uefa Super Cup x 2, Copa del Rey x 2, Supercopa de Espana x 3, La Liga x 3; FIFA Club World Cup x 2
The Bayern Munich
Bundesliga three times, DFB-Pokal twice, FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup
City of Manchester
Champions League, Community Shield x 2, Uefa Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Premier League x 6, FA Cup x 2, League Cup x 4.
2 The creator of Total Football, Ronus Michels
The Total Football method, developed by Rinus Michels, established the groundwork for modern top-tier football play. The tactical principle’s premise was that players could switch positions on the field and be covered by another player, enabling teams to play more fluidly rather than being forced to maintain a strict, constricting formation.
Michels had tremendous success with the strategy, winning league titles with both Ajax and Barcelona and the European Cup with the former. The Dutchman also managed his native country on multiple times, leading the Netherlands to a World Cup second-place finish 14 years prior and to victory at Euro 1988. In 1999, Michels was elected FIFA Coach of the Century. In 2019, France Football declared him the greatest manager of all time.
List of Honours for Rinus Michels
Group
Titles
Ajax
European Cup x 3, KNVB Cup x 4, and Eredivisie x 4.
Barcelona
La Liga, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Trophy, Copa del Rey
Koln FC
DFB-Pokal
The Netherlands
European Championship
1. Alex Ferguson, sir
The greatest manager ever
When Sir Alex Ferguson took charge at Old Trafford in 1986, Manchester United was a sleeping giant. However, in the 27 years that followed, the Scot turned the team back into one of the best in the world. However, Ferguson’s management career does not start and finish with United.
In the 1980s, he managed Aberdeen with remarkable success, winning 11 titles and defeating Real Madrid in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1983. Among his many accolades at United, Ferguson won two Champions Leagues and thirteen Premier League titles. He is statistically the most successful manager of all time, having won 49 trophies during his management career.
List of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Honours
Group
Titles
Mirren, St.
First Division of Scotland
Aberdeen
European Super Cup, Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, Scottish Premier Division three times, and Scottish Cup four times
United Manchester
UEFA Champions League x 2, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Premier League x 13, FA Cup x 5, Football League Cup x 4, FA Community Shield x 10.
