Best Football Managers of All Time: A Ranking
In this article, we will discuss the best football managers of all time.
The best football managers of all time have registered impeccable results in different tournaments. They have performed incredibly hard and formed close relationships with all players to make sure their teams get to the top of the tournament.
Mircea Lucescu
Mircea Lucescu is a Romanian professional football manager and former player who made 70 appearances for the Romanian national team.
He is in command of Dynamo Kyiv, a Ukrainian Premier League club. He was selected as Dynamo Kyiv’s manager in 2020. Before then, he worked at Shakhtar Donetsk, where he taught the Ukrainian team to every home trophy and the 2009 UEFA Cup.
Since his debut on the football stage, he has bagged eight Ukrainian Premier League titles, seven Ukrainian Super Cups, and six Ukrainian Cups. His agreement will end on 30th June 2024.
Full name: Mircea Lucescu
Date of birth: 29th July 1945
Age: 77 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Bucharest, Romania
Nationality: Romanian
Team/ club: Dynamo Kyiv
Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to be the greatest football manager of all time. During his 26-year contract at Manchester United, he succeeded in 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles. He is also the longest-working manager in the club’s history, having succeeded in an unbelievable 38 trophies as a whole.
Sir Alex was famous for his tough-love approach, and he wasn’t afraid to drop star players if they weren’t performing. He also had a knack for finding and nurturing young talents, such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Full name: Alexander Chapman Ferguson
Date of birth: December 31, 1941
Age: 81
Place of birth: Govan, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Nationality: Scottish
Team/ club: Manchester United & More
Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff is also a football legend who is regarded as one of the best managers of all time. As a player, he succeeded in three European Cups with Ajax and was an essential player for the Dutch national team that got the 1974 World Cup final.
As a manager, he revolutionized football with his philosophy of Total Football. He coached the Barcelona team to their first European Cup in 1992, and his impact on the club is always sensed to this day. His priority on technical ability, creativity, and teamwork has been copied by countless managers since, and he is considered one of the most creative coaches in football history.
Full name: Hendrik Johannes Cruijff
Date of birth: April 25, 1947
Age: 68 years
Place of birth: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola is one of the most victorious and creative managers of current times. He increased to fame as the manager of Barcelona, where he won three La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League titles. He then went on to work at Bayern Munich and Manchester City, where he has resumed his win, winning multiple domestic titles and achieving the final of the Champions League multiple times.
Guardiola is known for his tough and possession-depending style of play, and his teams are usually applauded for their attacking flair and creativity. He has also demonstrated a willingness to adjust and alter his tactics to fit various opponents, completing him a challenging opponent for any team.
Full name: Josep Guardiola Sala
Date of birth: 18th January 1971
Age: 52 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Santpedor, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Team/ club: Manchester City
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is regarded as one of the greatest managers in Italian football history. He coached AC Milan to back-to-back European Cup titles in 1989 and 1990, and his team is still viewed as one of the greatest of all time.
Sacchi was known for his meticulous attention to detail and his focus on fitness and discipline. He also engaged an innovative zonal marking system that was forward of its time, and his teams were recognized for their high-pressing and aggressive style of play.
Full name: Arrigo Sacchi
Date of birth: 1 April 1946
Place of birth: Fusignano, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is one of the most aggressive figures in football, but there’s no rejecting his success as a manager. He has won numerous domestic titles in Portugal, England, Italy, and Spain, as well as two UEFA Champions League titles.
Mourinho is known for his defensive-minded technique and his capability to refuse the opposition’s attacking danger. He has also displayed a knack for succeeding in big games, and his teams are usually at their best in knockout competitions.
Full name: José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix
Date of birth: 26th January 1963
Age: 60 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Setubal, Portugal
Nationality: Portuguese
Team/ club: Roma
Diego Simeone
Before his managerial position at Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone succeeded in two league titles in Argentina. After his charge at Atletico Madrid, he coached the team to win the 2012 Europa League.
His team destroyed Chelsea in the European Super Cup during this period before succeeding in the 2013 Spanish domestic cup. He is one of the top five managers of all time, having a net worth of $130 million.
Full name: Diego Pablo Simeone Gonzalez
Date of birth: 28th April 1970
Age: 52 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality: Argentine
Team/ club: Atletico Madrid
Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley is a Liverpool legend who is regarded as one of the best football managers of all time. He spent 44 years at the club, beginning as a player and advancing into coaching and management. During his nine-year period as manager, he succeeded in six league titles, three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, one European Super Cup, and three League Cups.
Paisley inherited a strong Liverpool team from Bill Shankly, but he produced some intelligent signings and executed a more attacking style of play. He also had a significant eye for talent, and he was capable of producing players such as Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, and Graeme Souness into world-class performers.
Full name: Arrigo Sacchi
Date of birth: 1 April 1946
Age: 77
Place of birth: Fusignano, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Team/ club: AC Milan
Rinus Michels
Rinus Michels is a Dutch footballing legend who is considered one of the best managers of all time. He is credited with inventing the concept of Total Football, which emphasizes positional fluidity and attacking play.
Michels succeeded in three league titles and one European Cup with Ajax in the 1970s, and he then went on to control the Dutch national team, guiding them to the 1974 World Cup final. He also had success at Barcelona and in the Netherlands, where he succeeded in two league titles with PSV Eindhoven.
Full name: Marinus Hendrikus Jacobus Michels
Date of birth: February 9, 1928
Age: 77
Place of birth: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most successful managers in modern football. He has succeeded in multiple domestic titles in Italy, England, France, and Germany, as well as three UEFA Champions League titles.
Ancelotti is a master tactician, and he has shown a willingness to adapt his tactics to fit various opponents.
Currently, he is the manager of the La Liga club Real Madrid. He has a net worth of $50 million, and his salary is $10.5 million.
Full Name: Carlo Ancelotti Cavaliere
Date of birth: 10th June 1959
Age: 63 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Reggiolo, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Team/ club: Real Madrid
Ernst Happel
Ernst Happel is an Austrian footballing legend who is viewed as one of the best managers of all time. He succeeded in league titles in five different countries, having the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Happel is best famous for his success with Feyenoord, where he succeeded in the European Cup in 1970. He also had success with Hamburg and the Dutch national team, guiding them to the 1978 World Cup final.
Full name: Ernst Franz Hermann Happel
Date of birth: 29 November 1925
Age: 66
Place of birth: Vienna, Austria
Nationality: Austrian
Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly is a Liverpool legend who is considered one of the best managers of all time. He spent 15 years at the club, leading them to three league titles, two FA Cups, and one UEFA Cup.
Shankly is best famous for his capability to make a winning team from scratch. He inherited a working Liverpool team in 1959, but he produced some intelligent signings and executed a more disciplined and hard-working style of play.
Full Name: William Shankly OBE
Date of birth: September 2, 1913
Age: 68
Place of birth: Glenbuck, United Kingdom
Nationality: Scottish
Team / Club: Liverpool
This was for the Best Football Managers of All Time.
Read Also: How Much Champions League Referees Make