Top 10: Football Managers in the World
A football team without a manager is like an army with a general - they can win a battle, they will not win a war. No matter how strong a team, without a good manager, they may win a good many numbers of matches, but they will never win a title. The modern era has seen a quite a few managers becoming legends, a handful who have sparkled for a while and then faded away. Here's a list of our pick of top 10 best football managers at the moment. Rank the list and let us know your views.
Marcello Lippi
This Italian manager led an unfancied Italian side to victory in the 2006 World Cup. He was also responsible for the domination of Italian football by Juventus in the late 90's. His management style focuses on team strength and unity rather than individual talent and ego. He won 5 league titles, 1 domestic cup, and the 1996 Champions League with Juventus. He currently manages the Chinese national team.
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Carlo Ancelotti
#11.0When Carlo Ancelotti won the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid, he became the only currently active manager to have won the tournament three times. Previously, he had won it twice with Milan in 2003 and 2007. Ancelotti's illustrious career includes league triumphs in Italy, England, France, and Germany, with Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich respectively. He's also claimed domestic cups with Milan, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. Ancelotti's management style is one of versatility and adaptability. He plays formations that suit the attributes of his players. With 20 trophies to his name, he is one of the most decorated managers on this list.
Jose Mourinho
#22.0Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho, is known for his well organized defenses and the physical strength of his teams. He was a teacher of physical education before earning invaluable coaching experience under legends, Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal. He has won 8 league titles and 4 domestic cups with Porto, Chelsea, Inter, and Real Madrid. He also won the 2003 UEFA Cup and the 2004 Champions League with Porto, the 2010 Champions League with Inter, and the 2017 Europa League with Manchester United. After a mixed second spell at Chelsea, Mourinho became Manchester United manager at the start of the 2016-17 season and took them back into the Champions League.
Louis Van Gaal
#33.0Known for his direct style of football, Van Gaal is also a strict disciplinarian. Described as proud and arrogant, his fusion of artistry and authority have brought him astounding success as a manager. With Ajax, he won the 1995 Champions League, the 1992 UEFA Cup, 3 league titles and 1 domestic cup. At Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he added 3 more league titles and 1 domestic cup. Incredibly, he also led AZ to the Dutch league title in 2009. Van Gaal then guided a much belittled Dutch side to a 3rd place in the 2014 World Cup before taking over as Manchester United manager. His disappointing spell at United nevertheless included an FA Cup win.
Arsene Wenger
#44.0Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, advocates an attacking and flowing style of football, making the club a favorite with neutral supporters. He has been criticized for his trust in youth, and his reluctance to bring big names to the club. Despite a lack of recent achievements, Wenger has kept Arsenal in the top group of English football for two decades, winning 3 league titles, 7 FA Cups, and reaching the Champions League final in 2006. One of his Arsenal teams went an entire season unbeaten in 2003/04. Wenger also won a league title and domestic cup with Monaco.
Diego Simeone
#55.0Diego Simeone is perhaps the most sought-after rising star in the football management world. Before becoming notorious as manager of Atletico Madrid, he won two league titles in his native Argentina. On his arrival in Spain, he galvanized an underachieving Atletico side and took them to 5th in the league. He also guided them to victory in the 2012 Europa League. In his first full season as manager, his team thrashed Chelsea in the European Super Cup before winning the 2013 Spanish domestic cup. Next came Simeone's greatest achievement as Atletico Madrid manager: winning the 2014 Spanish league title by finishing ahead of both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Simeone's ongoing European success has only been limited by narrow defeats to Real Madrid in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals.
Antonio Conte
#66.0Antonio Conte is a former Italian footballer who spent most of his career at Juventus and represented his country 20 times. His work-rate as a player mirrors the effort he now expects from the players he manages. Conte plays with wing-backs in a 5-3-2 formation and picks players who are versatile enough to suit his system. During the 2011-12 season, he led Juventus to the Serie A title without losing a single game. Conte stayed at Juventus for 3 years, winning Serie A in each season before managing Italy for their Euro 2016 campaign. His team knocked Spain out of the tournament but narrowly lost to Germany on penalties. He then joined Chelsea in 2016 and won the Premier League in his first season, claiming a record 30 league victories. Antonio Conte has a long career ahead of him, and is likely to become one of the greatest managers of all time.
Pep Guardiola
#77.0After a distinguished career as a defensive midfielder for Barcelona, Josep Guardiola was elevated to manager of the club's B team in 2007. One year later, he was made first team boss. After making drastic and risky changes to Barcelona's first team and footballing strategy, the club won the treble in his first season. Pep went on to win 3 La Liga titles, 2 domestic cups, 3 Super cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 European super cups, and 2 World club cups, claiming a total of 14 trophies in 4 seasons. Guardiola then took a year out to recover before becoming Bayern Munich manager in 2013. He won the domestic double in his first season, and again in 2016, but never reached a Champions League final in his 3 years at the club. In all, he claimed a further 7 trophies with Bayern. In 2016, he took over at big-spending Manchester City and, after a season without a trophy, is breaking all sorts of records in his second season! Guardiola's teams are known for keeping possession, pressing relentlessly, and their sublime creativity.
Jürgen Klopp
#88.0Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, is a rising star in the football world. He transformed the fortunes of Borussia Dortmund, bringing them league titles in 2011 and 2012, and the German Cup in 2012. Klopp's reign ended the undisputed dominance of Bayern Munich, and established Dortmund as a major force in European football. He assembled an excellent team in all positions and favored a quick style of counter-attacking football that was quite similar to Arsenal (in their better years). Dortmund went on a 28 match unbeaten streak in 2012, and Klopp's side also reached the 2013 Champions League final. He recently took Liverpool to two cup finals, but was defeated in both.
Mircea Lucescu
#99.0This Romanian manager managed Shakhtar Donetsk from 2004 to 2016, guiding the Ukrainian team to every domestic trophy and the 2009 UEFA Cup. Shakhtar are now a formidable force in European football, reaching the quarter finals of the Champions League in 2011. Lucescu has won 12 league titles and 9 domestic cups during his time in Romania, Turkey and Ukraine. In 2016 he left to manage the Russian club, Zenit St. Petersburg. He currently manages the Turkish national side.
Marcello Lippi
#1010.0This Italian manager led an unfancied Italian side to victory in the 2006 World Cup. He was also responsible for the domination of Italian football by Juventus in the late 90's. His management style focuses on team strength and unity rather than individual talent and ego. He won 5 league titles, 1 domestic cup, and the 1996 Champions League with Juventus. He currently manages the Chinese national team.
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