In brief
One of the greatest (if not the greatest) club competitions in the world and the apex of European football is the Champions League.
The competition has only been won by a few managers since it was rebranded in the early 1990s.
Only one of the players on this list had more than three Champions League victories.
It has long been considered the most prestigious football competition in Europe, if not the entire world, whether it is called the Champions League or the European Cup. The Champions League is renowned for its top-notch games, big stakes, and, more often than not, matches that draw in football fans from all over the world.
At least in Europe, winning the Champions League is regarded as the ultimate goal of domestic football. Only eight managers have won the Champions League more than once as of this writing, demonstrating how difficult it is to win and how different champions are frequently chosen year after year.
As a result of their Champions League triumphs, some managers have established a reputation for themselves. Which ten managers have won the most Champions League titles?
Ranking Elements
The number of Champions League championships a manager has won has determined their ranking on this list. It should be noted that the European Cup is not included on this list; only the Champions League is. The speed at which these trophies were acquired has been used to rank managers who have earned the same number of titles. Jurgen Klopp won the Champions League in his fourth year at Liverpool, but Luis Enrique, who won the league in his first season with Barcelona, is ahead of him because of this.
Ten Supervisors Who Have Won the Most Champions League Titles
Rank
Name
Titles in the Champions League
Club or Clubs Won With
1.
Ancelotti, Carlo
5.
Real Madrid (x3) and AC Milan (x2)
2.
Zidane Zinedine
3.
Real Madrid (three)
3.
Guardiola, Pep
3.
Manchester City, Barcelona (x2)
4.
Vicente del Bosque
2.
Real Madrid
5.
Alex Ferguson, sir
2.
United Manchester
6.
Mourinho, Jose
2.
Inter Milan and Porto
7.
Hitzfeld, Ottmar
2.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
8.
Heynckes, Jupp
2.
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid
9.
Luis Enrique
One
Barcelona
10.
Tuchel, Thomas
One
Chelsea
10Thomas Tuchel – One Title
Chelsea
In 2025, Thomas Tuchel will travel on his first overseas assignment, ushering in a new era in his legendary managing career. Tuchel, who is currently leading the England national team, will be hoping to achieve the same kind of success with the Three Lions as he did with teams like Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.
Because of his work both domestically and on the continent, England supporters are familiar with Tuchel. Tuchel was selected to take Frank Lampard’s position as Chelsea’s manager in 2021. Lampard left the Blues because, despite leading them to the Champions League knockout rounds, they were struggling in the league.
Tuchel gave Chelsea the drive they needed to advance in the competition, and they eventually made it to the final, when a goal from Kai Havertz gave the Stamford Bridge team its second-ever Champions League championship and Tuchel their first.
9Luis Enrique – One Title
Barcelona
Luis Enrique is currently in charge of an extraordinary project with Paris Saint-Germain, who have finally moved past a period of high-profile acquisitions. As of this writing, the Parisians are in a situation where they could finally win their first-ever Champions League. In addition to being an excellent coach, Enrique has competition-winning experience.
Enrique was named Barcelona’s new manager in 2014, a few days after leaving Celta Vigo. The Spaniard would stay in Catalonia for three years, but he would not experience any greater success than he had during his debut season with the team.
Barcelona achieved the European treble, the highest honour in football on the continent, in the 2014–15 campaign. When Barca defeated Atletico Madrid in his first season, Enrique won his first Champions League.
8Jupp Heynckes – Two Titles
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich
With the exception of the 2017–18 season, when he managed Bayern Munich, Jupp Heynckes has been out of football management since 2013. His career as a gaffer spanned more than 30 years, beginning with an eight-year stint as Borussia Monchengladbach’s manager from 1979 to 1987.
After two years in Tenerife, Heynckes was hired as manager of Real Madrid in 1997. Even though the German would only lead Los Blancos for one season because of the team’s dismal league performance, he was able to win the Champions League title for the first time when Madrid defeated Juventus in the 1998 final.
Heynckes’ two Champions League victories were separated by 15 years, with the second occurring in the latter years of his career. After leading Bayern Munich to the Champions League final in 2011–12, Heynckes repeated the feat the following season, becoming one of the few managers to win two Champions Leagues and solidifying his place among the greatest German managers of all time.
7Ottmar Hitzfeld – Two Titles
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich
Ottmar Hitzfeld, like Heynckes, is one of just a few managers who have won the Champions League with two different teams. Hitzfeld, who was a striker while he played, started a 30-year managing career in 1983, the year he announced his retirement from playing.
Hitzfeld managed in Switzerland for seven years before being hired as Borussia Dortmund’s manager in 1991. He stayed there until 1997. He won two Bundesliga titles at that time, but most significantly, he defeated a superb Juventus team to win the Champions League in his last season with the team.
In 1998, Hitzfeld relocated to Bayern Munich for the first of his two tenures as the club’s manager. Hitzfeld made it back to the Champions League final in his third season, when his Bayern team defeated Valencia on penalties. In 2001, Hitzfeld won the competition for the second time, and Bayern lifted the coveted trophy for the first time in 25 years.
6Jose Mourinho – Two Titles
Porto and Inter Milan
Jose Mourinho, who currently plays for Fenerbahce in the Super Lig, has long been considered one of the greatest football managers in history. The Portuguese has had success with a variety of clubs, and after working with Sir Bobby Robson during the 1990s, Porto was the team that offered Mourinho his managerial debut.
When Mourinho was hired as Porto’s manager in 2002, he was not well-known, but two years later, after leading the side to an incredible Champions League victory, every club on the continent was familiar with him. Mourinho relocated to Chelsea after winning the trophy in 2004, where he continued to develop as a manager.
Mourinho left London for Milan and joined Inter in 2008. Despite just being with the team for two years, Mourinho became one of their best managers in the contemporary era. In the 2009–10 season, Mourinho secured the second of his two Champions League victories, and Inter achieved the ultimate European football goal—the continental treble.
5Sir Alex Ferguson – Two Titles
Manchester United (Twice)
Sir Alex Ferguson, who led Manchester United from 1986 to 2013, had a remarkable 27-year career as manager, making him unquestionably the best Premier League manager of all time. Ferguson not only put the Red Devils back in the running for titles, but he also solidified the Premier League’s supremacy until his retirement.
Although Ferguson’s 13 Premier League championships are still a record for any manager, the Scot’s achievements extended beyond English football. During his tenure at Old Trafford, Ferguson won two Champions League trophies, the first of which made Manchester United the first English team to win a European treble in 1999.
4Vicente del Bosque – Two Titles
Real Madrid (Twice)
Many younger football fans most remember Vicente del Bosque for his eight years as manager of the Spanish national team from 2008 to 2016, at which time the team won a World Cup and a Euros tournament. But before that, del Bosque’s managerial career was primarily at Real Madrid.
Del Bosque was once again named manager of Real Madrid in 1999, a role he would maintain for four years, following a brief period in command of Los Blancos in 1994 and a caretaker tenure in 1996. A pivotal period in Madrid’s history, when they implemented their Galacticos transfer policy, would be supervised by the Spaniard.
A plethora of accolades accompanied this infusion of excellence. Del Bosque led Madrid to the Champions League in 2000 and 2002 in addition to winning two La Liga championships with his squad.
3Pep Guardiola – Three Titles
Barcelona and Manchester City (Twice)
Pep Guardiola, who has been managing Manchester City for almost ten years, is widely considered to be among the greatest managers of his time. The team that the Spaniard built with Barcelona, where he started his management career, is frequently regarded as one of the best in history.
Guardiola’s accolades simply serve to strengthen this sentiment. In addition to winning three La Liga championships, Guardiola led Barcelona to two consecutive Champions League victories in 2009 and 2011. It would be more than ten years before Guardiola won the Champions League once more, even though his next team, Bayern Munich, would dominate the domestic market.
Guardiola’s team advanced to the 2023 Champions League final after losing heartbreakingly to Chelsea in the 2021 final. As the second English team to achieve a European treble, Guardiola won his third Champions League title thanks to a goal from would-be Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
2Zinedine Zidane – Three Titles
Real Madrid (Thrice)
The only team that great midfielder Zinedine Zidane has managed is Real Madrid, who haven’t had a manager since 2021. Zidane led the team from 2019 to 2021 during his second spell, but his first tenure, which lasted from 2016 to 2018, is what people remember him for the most.
Zidane won three straight Champions Leagues during his first stint as Real manager, and he has won two La Liga crowns over his two stints in charge. With the help of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Frenchman solidified Los Blancos as the most powerful team on the continent.
Real made history by becoming the first team to win the Champions League three times in a row, a feat that appears to be here to stay.
1Carlo Ancelotti – Five Titles
Real Madrid (Thrice) and AC Milan (Twice)
No manager in history has equalled Carlo Ancelotti’s accomplishments in European football. He was a great player prior to his retirement and one of the greatest managers of his period. As of this writing, the Italian is the only manager to have ever won more than three Champions League championships.
Ancelotti experienced his first taste of managerial glory while leading AC Milan from 2001 to 2009. Ancelotti assembled a formidable squad that won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007. Ancelotti didn’t begin managing outside of Italy until after his tenure at San Siro; he had previously managed Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain before taking over at Real Madrid in 2013.
Ancelotti won the Champions League in his first season as Los Blancos’ manager, which would turn out to be his first. The Italian returned to the Spanish city from Everton six years after being fired, and he is still there as of this writing.
In addition to leading Real Madrid to their historic tenth Champions League title, Ancelotti has won the trophy twice more during his second stint as manager, solidifying his place in history.
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