Ranking the 20 Best Managers in World Football Right Now

Summary: There are a lot of amazing football managers in the world right now, and both seasoned and up-and-coming managers are striking.
Xabi Alonso, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola are some of the top managers in the world.
Trophies, success, and longevity have been used to rank the top 20 managers in the world.
World football is currently home to a number of amazing managers. While some seasoned pros are enjoying a fantastic 2024, newer managers are vying for the title of finest in 2025.

As the 2024–25 season draws to a close, coaches have had ample opportunity to argue that they should be ranked higher than other top strategists as the campaign’s crucial moments approach. As a result, the rankings have been adjusted to take into account their performances.

Having stated that, the following criteria were taken into account when attempting to rank the top 20 football managers at the present time.

Factors that rank
awards.
Recent achievements (awarded honours).
longevity.
performance in relation to the expectations.
Due to a dearth of recent games, foreign managers and unemployed bosses are placed lower.
In images: The top football managers in the world at the moment

20Nuno Espirito Santo

Nottingham Forest

It was difficult to envision anyone leading Nottingham Forest better after Steve Cooper returned the team to the promised land. However, Nuno Espirito Santo took over as manager. It was predicted that he would struggle with the team after Cooper was fired, but he has excelled in his role and has Forest on the verge of playing in the Champions League for the first time in decades.

Every week, Forest supporters are ecstatic as their team continues to defy expectations and maintain a position in the top four. Although victories over teams like Manchester United and Liverpool have highlighted their incredible start to the season, they undoubtedly wouldn’t be in their current standing without the manager.

19Gian Piero Gasperini

Current team: Atalanta

A 30-year overnight phenomenon. Gian Piero Gasperini could be described in that way. Being one of the most dependable managers in his home nation, the 67-year-old Italian has been quietly going about his business, performing passable projects without experiencing any significant success until recently.

After playing for Genoa, Palermo, and Inter Milan for five games, Gasperini joined Atalanta in 2016. Eight years later, his team defeated the undefeated Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, earning him his first trophy. Although the veteran coach had lately been involved in a dispute with Ademola Lookman, who scored a hat-trick in the final, it was the cherry on top of all the excellent work he has done at the club.

18Luciano Spalletti

Current team: Italy

In their recent past, Italy has struggled to qualify for international competitions, but Luciano Spalletti has been able to turn things around and lead them to Euro 2024. But in the end, it was a disappointing performance, as the country lost 2-0 to Switzerland and was eliminated in the round of 16.

After leaving Napoli in 2023, the former Inter Milan manager assumed leadership of the national team. Spalletti led the squad to its first Serie A championship in more than 30 years while he was at Naples, demonstrating his ability to motivate his staff. This is his greatest managerial achievement to date. However, that might change if he is able to lead his country to victory in a major event in the future.

17Luis de la Fuente

Current team: Spain

Luis de la Fuente hasn’t looked back since he was given an opportunity with the Spanish senior team in 2022 after rising through the ranks of the country’s youth squad. The 63-year-old led his team to victory during their dominant campaign at Euro 2024. Spain became the first team to win all seven of their games in the major event after defeating England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.

The manager swiftly turned things around after a dismal few years, and Spain trounced their opponents in the European Championship. It might be a good idea to start adjusting to the thought of the former left-back and his team controlling international football now that he has such a bright, youthful squad at his disposal.

16Antonio Conte

Current team: Napoli

15Julian Nagelsmann

Current team: Germany

Even though Germany was the hosts and one of the favourites and did not win Euro 2024, great things are still anticipated of them in the future, partly because of Julian Nagelsmann’s ground-breaking ideas. The 37-year-old German was doing a great job at the moment, so when Bayern Munich fired him, eyebrows went up.

Since then, Nagelsmann has been employed by the national team, and in his first 21 games as manager of Die Mannschaft, he has won 12 of them, including a commanding victory over France. He has access to some of the most talented young players in the world, like Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, and if the young manager leads his nation to yet another major victory, his reputation will soar.

14Thomas Tuchel

Current team: England

Although Thomas Tuchel departed Bayern Munich in disarray after Bayer Leverkusen defeated him to win the Bundesliga, his status as a good manager has not been damaged. Before the German withdrew from the talks, Man United was considering hiring him to replace Erik ten Hag.

Tuchel has a strong record in Europe and led the Bavarian team to the Champions League semi-final despite his domestic issues while in the hot seat. Given their history in the European tournament, it’s difficult to hold Tuchel responsible for their defeat at the hands of Real Madrid. Now that he has been named England’s manager, the 51-year-old will have to put an end to their arduous quest for a major prize. He has also had a successful start to his tenure as manager of the Three Lions, winning both of his first games in the role.

13Didier Deschamps

Current team: France

Didier Deschamps must be one of the most successful individuals in football history when you include all of his player medals with those from his coaching career. At the 2018 World Cup, the Frenchman demonstrated that he is the epitome of a serial winner.

The lack of success in recent international tournaments has been known to irritate some supporters, but in 2022, the France manager was just a penalty shootout away from keeping the largest prize in world football. Despite their poor performance in Euro 2024, they advanced to the semifinals. Because they now have one of the top managers in international football, France always has a chance in important tournaments.

12Lionel Scaloni

Current team: Argentina

Everyone is aware of Lionel Scaloni’s greatest accomplishment during his time as a football manager. He will always be remembered for helping Lionel Messi win the 2022 World Cup and revolutionise football. Of course, that doesn’t adequately reflect the total amount of effort he has done to turn the country from a sleeping giant for many years into a contender for all of the major awards available.

In addition, the 46-year-old led Argentina to victories over Colombia in the Copa America 2024 final and Brazil in the Copa America 2021 final. He started working in the position in 2018 before turning 40 years old. He deserves a relatively high ranking on this list for having accomplished the success he has as a young manager.

11Unai Emery

Current team: Aston Villa

Few would have predicted that Aston Villa would qualify for the Champions League before to the 2023–24 season, but Unai Emery made sure the West Midlands team placed in the top four. This accomplishment is even the more impressive when you compare the current Villans to when the former Arsenal manager succeeded Steven Gerrard.

After winning several European titles throughout his tenure with Sevilla, he has been widely considered as a fantastic tactician. Before Villa was destroyed by Olympiacos, Emery came very close to adding the Europa Conference League to his long list of accolades. However, he has brought players like John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, and Ezri Konsa to previously unthinkable heights, demonstrating his skill as a manager and the fact that his team is currently enjoying a really thrilling Champions League season.

10Jurgen Klopp

Current team: Unattached

Due to his departure from Liverpool at the end of the 2023–2024 season, Jurgen Klopp is not currently a manager. But after turning the Reds from a mid-table team into consistent championship contenders, he will be cherished as one of the greatest managers in Premier League history.

It seems possible that the 57-year-old would be sent off in the best possible way at the beginning of 2024. After Klopp’s statement, Liverpool were nearly unstoppable and were actively participating in four competitions. Regretfully, the Merseyside club’s most successful manager in Premier League history ended his tenure with just a League Cup victory. He currently works with the Red Bull football team in a non-coaching capacity.

9Mikel Arteta

Current team: Arsenal

Given that Mikel Arteta has turned around Arsenal’s fortunes in recent years and put the team in position to win the Premier League title for a second straight season, Arsenal supporters would support their manager as the greatest in the world. The Spaniard would have received hero status if the north London team had won the English championship for the first time in 20 years.

He hasn’t taken home any cutlery in a while, though, and hasn’t been able to get them over the finish line. With a third-round FA Cup elimination this season and a quarter-final League Cup departure, the Gunners were eliminated from both domestic competitions. They have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, but they will have a difficult game against Real Madrid. Although Arteta has done a fantastic job of inspiring the club’s followers to hope for success soon, his one critique is that it always appears like next year will be the year when the trophy drought ends.

8Luis Enrique

Current team: Paris Saint-Germain

The Spaniard was given the responsibility of leading Paris Saint-Germain through the post-Kylian Mbappe era, which tested Luis Enrique’s managerial abilities. Enrique had to figure out how to win without the Frenchman in the squad after he moved Real Madrid in the summer. But in early April, he achieved just that, winning another Ligue 1 championship.

Without Mbappe, he has actually improved PSG, and they are winning both at home and abroad after eliminating Liverpool from the Champions League. With Khvicha Khvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele by his side, they’re playing at their best, and Enrique has been essential to that.

7Diego Simeone

Current team: Atletico Madrid