The 22 best football managers of all time

Advertisement
The 22 best football managers of all time

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola

Getty Images

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

Advertisement

A French soccer magazine has published a list of the best coaches in the history of world soccer.

France Football used a criteria of trophies won, personality, and how the manager influenced the sport and other coaches in order to produce the ranking.

As some managers at the top of the list have won fewer major trophies than those at the bottom, it appears that influence - whether that be through nutrition, tactics, or soccer ideology - is the favored way of ranking the coaches.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, and the currently unemployed coach Jose Mourinho all feature prominently in France Football's list, but in what order?

Advertisement

Read more: 5 factors suggest Real Madrid is months away from making Neymar the world's first player to generate $600 million in transfer fees alone

Keep scrolling to to see the top 22, ranked in ascending order.

{{}}

22: Zinedine Zidane — France

22: Zinedine Zidane — France

Years active: 2016-present.

Biggest clubs managed: Real Madrid.

Overall win percentage: 70%.

Major titles won: 1 x La Liga championship and 3 x UEFA Champions League titles.

21: Fabio Capello — Italy

21: Fabio Capello — Italy

Years active: 1991-2018.

Biggeet clubs managed: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus, and the England national soccer team.

Overall win percentage: 54.5%.

Major titles won: 5 x Serie A championships, 2 x La Liga championships, and 1 x UEFA Champions League title.

Advertisement

20: Bela Guttmann — Hungary

20: Bela Guttmann — Hungary

Years active: 1933-1975.

Biggest clubs managed: Ujpest FC, Sao Paulo FC, FC Porto, and Benfica.

Overall win percentage: Unknown.

Major titles won: 2 x Hungarian championships, 1 x Sao Paulo state championship, 3 x Portuguese championship, and 1 x European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League).

19: Ottmar Hitzfeld — Germany

19: Ottmar Hitzfeld — Germany

Years active: 1983-2014.

Biggest clubs managed: Grasshopper, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich.

Overall win percentage: 54%.

Major titles won: 2 x Swiss Super League championships, 7 x Bundesliga championships, and 2 x UEFA Champions League titles.

Advertisement

18: Louis van Gaal — Netherlands

18: Louis van Gaal — Netherlands

Years active: 1991-2016.

Biggest clubs managed: Ajax, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United.

Overall win percentage: 60%.

Major titles won: 3 x Eredivisie championships, 2 x La Liga championships, 1 x Bundesliga, 1 x UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League), and 1 x UEFA Champions League.

17: Nereo Rocco — Italy

17: Nereo Rocco — Italy

Years active: 1947-1977.

Biggest clubs managed: AC Milan.

Overall win percentage: Unknown.

Major titles won: 2 x Serie A championships, 2 x UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 2 x European Cups (now UEFA Champions League).

Advertisement

16: Marcello Lippi — Italy

16: Marcello Lippi — Italy

Years active: 1982-present.

Biggest clubs managed: Juventus, the Italian national soccer team, and Guangzhou Evergrande.

Overall win percentage: 46%.

Major titles won: 5 x Serie A championships, 3 x Chinese Super League championships, 1 x UEFA Champions League title, 1 x AFC Champions League title, and 1 FIFA World Cup.

15: Brian Clough — England

15: Brian Clough — England

Years active: 1965-1993.

Biggest clubs managed: Derby County and Nottingham Forest.

Overall win percentage: 46.5%.

Major titles won: 2 x English league championships (now Premier League) and 2 x European Cups (now UEFA Champions League).

Advertisement

14: Miguel Munoz — Spain

14: Miguel Munoz — Spain

Years active: 1959-1988.

Biggest clubs managed: Real Madrid.

Overall win percentage: 53%.

Major titles won: 9 x La Liga championships and 2 x European Cups (now UEFA Champions League).

13: Jose Mourinho — Portugal

13: Jose Mourinho — Portugal

Years active: 2000-present.

Biggest clubs managed: FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United.

Overall win percentage: 65%.

Major titles won: 2 x Primeira Liga championships, 3 x Premier League championships, 2 x Serie A championships, 1 x La Liga championship, 2 x UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League titles, and 2 x UEFA Champions League titles.

Advertisement

12: Giovanni Trapattoni — Italy

12: Giovanni Trapattoni — Italy

Years active: 1974-2010.

Biggest clubs managed: Juventus, Inter Milan, and Bayern Munich.

Overall win percentage: 52%.

Major titles won: 7 x Serie A championships, 1 x Bundesliga championship, 1 x Primeira Liga championship, 1 x Austrian Bundesliga championship, 1 x UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 2 x UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League), 1 x European Cup (now UEFA Champions League).

11: Matt Busby — Scotland

11: Matt Busby — Scotland

Years active: 1945-1971.

Biggest clubs managed: Manchester United.

Overall win percentage: 50%.

Major titles won: 5 x English championships (now Premier League) and 1 x European Cup (now UEFA Champions League).

Advertisement

10: Bill Shankly — Scotland

10: Bill Shankly — Scotland

Years active: 1949-1974.

Biggest clubs managed: Liverpool FC.

Overall win percentage: 49.3%.

Major titles won: 3 x English league championships (now Premier League) and 1 x UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League).

9: Ernst Happel — Austria

9: Ernst Happel — Austria

Years active: 1962-1992.

Biggest clubs managed: Club Brugge, the Netherlands national soccer team, and Hamburg.

Overall win percentage: 55%.

Major titles won: 1 x Eredivise championship, 3 x Belgian championships, 2 x Bundesliga championships, 2 x Austrian championships, and 2 x European Cups (now UEFA Champions League).

Advertisement

8: Carlo Ancelotti — Italy

8: Carlo Ancelotti — Italy

Years active: 1995-present.

Biggest clubs managed: Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea FC, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.

Overall win percentage: 59%.

Major titles won: 1 x Serie A championship, 1 x Premier League championship, 1 x Ligue 1 championship, 1 x Bundesliga, and 3 x UEFA Champions League titles.

7: Helenio Herrera — Argentina/France

7: Helenio Herrera — Argentina/France

Years active: 1944-1981.

Biggest clubs managed: Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Inter Milan.

Overall win percentage: Unknown.

Major titles won: 4 x La Liga championships, 3 x Serie A championships, and 2 x European Cups (now UEFA Champions League).

Advertisement

6: Valeriy Lobanovskyi — USSR/Ukraine

6: Valeriy Lobanovskyi — USSR/Ukraine

Years active: 1969-2001.

Biggest clubs managed: Dynamo Kyiv.

Overall win percentage: Unknown.

Major titles won: 8 x Soviet Top League championships, 5 x Ukrainian National League championships, and 2 x UEFA Cup Winners Cup.

5: Pep Guardiola — Spain

5: Pep Guardiola — Spain

Years active: 2008-present.

Biggest clubs managed: FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.

Overall win percentage: 72.5%.

Major titles won: 3 x La Liga championships, 3 x Bundesliga championships, 1 x Premier League, and 2 x UEFA Champions League titles.

Advertisement

4: Johan Cruyff — Netherlands

4: Johan Cruyff — Netherlands

Years active: 1985-2013.

Biggest clubs managed: Ajax and FC Barcelona.

Overall win percentage: 61.3%.

Major titles won: 4 x La Liga championships, 2 x UEFA Cup Winners Cup, 1 x European Cup (now UEFA Champions League).

3: Arrigo Sacchi — Italy

3: Arrigo Sacchi — Italy

Years active: 1985-2001.

Biggest clubs managed: AC Milan and the Italian national soccer team.

Overall win percentage: Unknown.

Major titles won: 1 x Serie A championship and 2 x European Cups (now UEFA Champions League).

Advertisement

2: Alex Ferguson — Scotland

2: Alex Ferguson — Scotland

Years active: 1974-2013.

Biggest clubs managed: Manchester United.

Overall win percentage: 58.1%.

Major titles won: 3 x Scottish Premier Division championships, 13 x Premier Leagues, 2 x European Cup Winners Cup, and 2 x UEFA Champions League titles.

1: Rinus Michels — Netherlands

1: Rinus Michels — Netherlands

Years active: 1960-1992.

Biggest clubs managed: Ajax, FC Barcelona, and the Netherlands national soccer team.

Overall win percentage: Unknown.

Major titles won: 4 x Eredivisie championships, 1 x La Liga championship, 1 x European Cup, and 1 x UEFA European Championship.

Advertisement