Managing a football team requires all kinds of talents and a wealth of knowledge of the game. As well as being tactically astute, managers should also be able to work with players as individuals to train, educate, motivate and “rein” them in.
Their instructions must be effectively communicated and must anticipate the physical and psychological state of the player. Of particular importance is the manager’s ability to read the game and to make proper substitutions and small tactical changes which are always the most important for winning.
Many managers left a deep mark in the history of football, some won many trophies, some changed the game with their philosophy, some will be remembered as ultra-offensive, some as ultra-defensive, and in this article, we will look back at the most successful managers in the best football club competition UEFA Champions League. Of course, while watching and enjoying the current season of this competition don’t forget to make your bets and use acca tips for more betting information and advice.
Carlo Ancelotti
Italian football expert Carlo Ancelotti (62) is the most successful manager in the history of the Champions League with four titles won. Last season for Ancelotti, it was a record fifth Champions League final and a record fourth title. Until now, Ancelotti and the Frenchman Zinedine Zidane each had three titles, but Ancelotti has now separated himself at the top. He played in three Champions League finals with Milan (2003, 2005, 2007), and two with Real Madrid (2014, 2022). He celebrated twice with Milan (2003, 2007), just as he did on the bench of Real Madrid (2014, 2022). Ancelotti is still writing history as manager of Real Madrid as he is officially Real Madrid’s most successful manager in the Champions League. The 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was win number 36 for the Italian specialist.
Ancelotti scored his 36th win as Real Madrid’s manager in just his 48th game in charge in the Champions League. This makes him Real Madrid’s most successful manager, as no one else has achieved so many victories in charge of the club in the Champions League.
Zinedine Zidane
The Real Madrid legend is the only manager who has led his team to the Champions League trophy three times in a row (2016, 2017, and 2018). In total, he led the team in 40 games and achieved 26 victories, which is over a 60%-win rate, which makes him the most successful manager in this category. It’s interesting that Ancelotti won 3 Champions League trophies in 11 seasons while Zidane won 3 UCL trophies in just 3 seasons.
Pep Guardiola
More or less, everything is known about Guardiola, from the first season in Barcelona when he won the triple crown (2008/09) and a total of 14 trophies with the Catalan giant (3 x La Liga, 2 x Champions League, 2 x Club World Cup, 2 x King’s Cup, 2 x UEFA Super Cup, 3 x Spanish Super Cup). Maybe of all these managers, he won the Champions League trophy by playing the most beautiful and dominant football ever. It’s really unbelievable how Guardiola has won only 2 trophies in this competition as he was and still is a manager of great teams with amazing top-level players.
With Bayern, where he dominated in Germany, but did not win the Champions League with the generation left to him by Jupp Heynckes. With Bayern, he was the champion three times and won the Cup twice, and he also won another trophy each in the UEFA Super Cup and the World Club Championship.
Now he is in England, Manchester City and so far, he is doing great with Citizens, except in the Champions League. However, Guardiola is only 52 years old and if he continues to work as of now, he will most likely win the 3rd Champions League trophy.
Alex Ferguson
Place on this list certainly deserves the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 48 trophies in his career. At Old Trafford, he won 38 trophies, 13 English league titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, ten Community Shields, two Champions Leagues, and one each of the KPK, European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and Club World Cup. Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in the history of Manchester United, and he is considered by many to be the best manager in the history of football, and he gained world fame by leading Manchester United for 26 years.
Ferguson led the “Red Devils” in 4 UCL finals. The first one in the 1998/99 season is one of the most iconic and famous finals in the history of football. Manchester United was playing against Bayern Munich and was down 1:0 until Sheringham and Solskjaer scored 2 goals in 2 minutes in injury time and made the biggest comeback ever in the UCL finals. In 2007/08 season Ferguson again won this trophy, but in the next 2 finals he got into with Manchester United he played against perhaps the best Barcelona team ever in 2008/09 and in 2010/11 and he lost both of them against Pep Guardiola.
Jose Mourinho
The one and only “Special One”. Chelsea had wanted the first league title since 1955 and Mourinho won it in his first season at the club. Massimo Moratti, the Inter president at the time, longed for the first European Cup of his tenure, and Mourinho delivered in his second season at the club. He even won the Champions League with an unheralded Porto in 2003. It is not just his success in Europe, his trophies in domestic championships and cups that makes Mourinho who he is, the Portuguese tactician is the most charismatic manager in the world. He wowed the assembled press with quirky comments and his history on the touchline makes him great boxing entertainment. Last season he won UEFA Europa Conference League with Roma, the first ever international trophy for this team, and he became the first and only manager so far who won all UEFA European competitions.
