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10 Greatest Football Managers Of All Time

There have been some great football managers throughout the history of the sport. Different managers play with different mindsets and different tactics. You can see each and every individual brand of football and the difference in the ideologies of the managers. This list talks about some of the best managers to have ever coached football.

The Best Football Managers Throughout History:

10. Bill Shankly

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Bill Shankly in front of Liverpool's Main Stand, designed by stadium architect Archibald Leitch.

A legendary manager with an incredible story, in front of a stand designed by one of football's most iconic architects. How much more history can you squeeze into one photo?! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/0b1cjoli9n

— Forgotten Football (@_forgottenfooty) April 12, 2024

Bill Shankly is one of, if not the most important, figures in Liverpool’s history. The Scottish football manager joined the English side when they were struggling to make it to the top-flight division of English football. After the 1953/54 season, Liverpool spent eight years in the second division. Billy Shankly led them to promotion in 1962 and started the club’s revival.

Shankly proved without a doubt that this promotion to the top flight was not a stroke of luck. He masterminded the newly promoted Liverpool squad and won the 1964 and 1966 English League titles with them. He also won the English League title in the 1972/73 season, and in the same year, Liverpool also won the UEFA Cup. He was awarded the Manager of the Year Award in the 1972/73 season. Bill Shankly helped turn around a club struggling for promotion into one of the top clubs in England and helped transform them into the massive football giants that they are now.

9. Carlo Ancelotti

Credit: Football Italia

Carlo Ancelotti has been a football manager since 1992. He has managed many clubs in his career, including extremely decorated teams like Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. He is currently the manager of Real Madrid, making this his second stint as the manager of the club. He is one of the only football managers to win the league title in each of the ‘Top Five’ leagues.

The Italian football manager won the Serie A title with AC Milan in 2003/04, the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2009/10, the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain in 2012/13, the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich in 2016/17, and the La Liga title with Real Madrid in 2021/22. He has also won four UEFA Champions League trophies, two with AC Milan and two with Real Madrid. Given the number of honours the Italian has won all around the world, it is safe to say that he deserves a place on this list.

8. Sir Matt Busby

Sir Matt Busby gives a speech to the United fans in Albert Square, after achieving his dream of making United European Champions (1968) #MUFC pic.twitter.com/6iIhBndJQu

— 🇾🇪 (@ManUtdHeritage) July 13, 2022

Sir Matt Busby is one of Manchester United’s most successful football managers. He helped build the foundation of the great club we all know today. Although his senior career as a footballer included playing for both Manchester City and Liverpool, it is his time as Manchester United’s manager that he is most well known for. He managed the Red Devils from 1945 to 1969 and then for an additional year from 1970 to 1971. He took charge of the team in 1945 and overhauled the squad. He lifted the FA Cup in 1948 and the league title in 1952.

Despite being backed by the club to sign superstars to keep up this form,  the Scottish football manager decided to promote a number of youth players. These came to be known as the ‘Busby Babes’. They won the First Division title consecutively from 1955 to 1957, with a team that had an average age of just 22 years. However, on 6th February 1957, disaster struck. The Munich Air Disaster claimed the lives of eight Manchester United players, leaving not just the club but the entire football world in pain.

Despite this heartbreaking setback, Sir Matt Busby rallied through and went on to win two more First Division titles in 1964/65 and 1966/67 seasons. He also managed to guide Manchester United to their first European Cup in the 1967-68 season. Busby’s career was a story of success, heartbreak, and perseverance, but it cannot be doubted that he proved to the world why he is one of the best football managers ever to grace the sport.

7. Bob Paisley

1981 Bob Paisley @LFC the first manager to win the European Cup three times pic.twitter.com/xXTOawUl9B

— Firmino (@brazilegend10) March 30, 2024

While Bill Shankly laid the foundation for Liverpool and turned their fortunes around, it was Bob Paisley who really put them on the European map and transformed the club into a football giant. Paisley took over when Shankly retired in 1974. He only managed one team in his career from 1974 to 1983. When Bill Shankly retired, a hush fell over Liverpool Football Club, with many worried as to who would replace Shankly as the manager, but the apprentice (Bob Paisley) not only replaced the master (Bill Shankly) but did even better than him.

Paisley managed to turn Liverpool into arguably the best team in England and Europe. He won six league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool. During this time, every team in the world feared playing against them. Paisley is regarded as the best Liverpool football manager ever, and he helped build the careers of many successful club legends, such as Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish, and Graeme Souness.

6. Arrigo Sacchi

Credit: Sempre Milan

Arrigo Sacchi, unlike most other football managers, did not have any past connections to the footballing world. He was simply a shoe salesman who was obsessed with the beautiful game. He went on to manage a plethora of clubs, including but not limited to Fiorentina, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and the Italian national team. The brand of football that Sacchi played was similar to that of Ajax in the 1970s. He demanded a high work rate from his team, and his tactics included a very high press alongside a high defensive line. His phenomenal backline of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti mastered the offside trip and caused the opposition attackers all sorts of problems.

This was a completely different style of play from what the Italians were used to and was initially frowned upon, but Sacchi showed everyone the benefits of playing football this way. He ended up winning the Serie A, the Supercoppa Italiana, the European Cup, the European Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup with AC Milan. He also managed to take Italy all the way to the 1994 FFA World Cup final but lost on penalties against Brazil in the final. Perhaps Sacchi would be ranked even higher on this list if he had managed to win the FIFA World Cup final to add another feather to his cap.

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5. Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff has arguably had the biggest impact on football compared to any other individual. He revolutionized the game both as a player and a football manager. Having won three Ballon d’Ors alongside multiple titles throughout his career, Cruyff, the player, is well established as one of the best of all time, but how does Johan Cruyff, the manager, fare?

Johan Cruyff learnt what he knew about football from legendary manager Rinus Michels, the manager credited with the invention of ‘Total Football’. Cruyff spent the start of his managerial career at Ajax before taking a similar route as his playing career and joining Barcelona. The Dutch international’s impact on Barcelona is arguably the biggest impact a single manager has had on a club. Before Cruyff took over Barcelona and introduced his style of play, the Culers had won just 36 trophies in 89 years. However, once Cruyff took over, he helped them develop into one of the biggest clubs in football history.

Cruyff explained the importance of technique over physicality, overhauled La Masia, developed it into one of the best academies in the world, and introduced a style of play which is held sacred by the club to this day. He helped Barcelona win four La Liga titles and guided them to their first-ever European Cup. Johan Cruyff’s importance in Barcelona, as well as football history, is invaluable. He is one of the greatest football managers in history and one of the first to promote the modern way of football.

4. Pep Guardiola

Treble winner 🏆

Pep Guardiola is the #TheBest FIFA Men's Coach 2023! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/iIiwaQ7i7T

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 15, 2024

Pep Guardiola is already regarded as one of the best football managers ever to grace the beautiful sport. Guardiola redefined what modern football looks like, completely changing the style his teams play compared to what the other managers do. One of the biggest contributors to his tactical know-how is the time he spent in Johan Cruyff’s legendary ‘Dream Team’ at Barcelona.

Working directly with Cruyff has certainly helped Pep Guardiola deepen his understanding of the game and made him a better coach. Guardiola has managed three teams in his career. He started his senior manager career in Barcelona. He took over as the manager in 2008 and turned the Barcelona squad into one of the most terrifying teams of all time.

He won the La Liga three times and the UEFA Champions League twice with Barcelona. He also completed a very rare sextuple with Barcelona in 2009. This meant winning six trophies in a single season, including the La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de Espana, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup trophies. He moved to Bayern Munich in the 2013/14 season and won three consecutive Bundesliga trophies with them before leaving and joining Manchester City.

One criticism Guardiola faced during his time with Bayern Munich was the inability to win the UEFA Champions League. Guardiola joined Manchester City and revolutionized them into an extremely dominating super team. He won five Premier Leagues in six seasons and is on his way to winning a sixth title.

He also won the UEFA Champions League with Manchester City in the 2022/23 season and completed the treble with them, which included the Premier League title, the FA Cup title, and the UEFA Champions League title. While Pep Guardiola has achieved so much, many have pointed out that he has only managed big teams with big budgets and have questioned if he would be able to replicate this kind of success with a smaller team. Because of this, he has been ranked fifth on this list.

3. Jose Mourinho

Twelve years ago today, Inter beat Bayern 2-0 to win the Champions League and complete a heroic treble for José Mourinho’s side 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/txViPuBM66

— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 22, 2022

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have been fierce rivals for a long time. Whether it was when Jose Mourinho managed Real Madrid and Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona, or when Jose Mourinho managed Manchester United and Pep Guardiola managed Manchester City, the two have gone against each other numerous times. While Pep Guardiola arguably achieved more success when it comes to trophies, we have put Jose Mourinho higher because we think Pep Guardiola would not be able to replicate the success Mourinho had with Porto and Inter Milan.

Jose Mourinho started his managerial career in 2000 and has managed various teams like Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, but his greatest achievement is probably from when he managed Porto. Mourinho managed Porto from 2002 to 2004. He won the Primeira Liga in both seasons in charge. He won the league title, the domestic cup, and the UEFA Cup in his first season. In his second season came his biggest-ever achievement. He won the league title again and followed it up by winning the UEFA Champions League title.

While winning the UEFA Champions League with Porto is an astonishing achievement, another achievement that cements Mourinho’s position as one of the greatest football managers ever is the treble he achieved with Inter Milan. He won the Serie A title with them in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons, but the latter one was even more special. Mourinho’s Inter Milan managed to win the Serie A title, the Copa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League in the 2009/10 season, completing one of the most historic trebles ever.

Jose Mourinho has also won the Premier League three times with Chelsea, La Liga with Real Madrid, UEFA Europa League with Manchester United, and UEFA Conference League with AS Roma. He is also the first manager to win the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League titles. His achievements are a clear indication of just how good a manager he is, and the fact that he has managed to prove his worth at whichever club he took charge of, however big or small, is why he has been placed ahead of Pep Guardiola on this list.

2. Rinus Michels

Rinus Michels would've turned 93 today.

The legendary coach who introduced total football to the world. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/HJJAJnwopw

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 9, 2021

Rinus Michels is the manager credited with the invention of ‘Total Football’. This is regarded as the modern way of playing football, and the tactics and style of football introduced by Michels have changed football forever. He spent his entire playing career at Ajax and took over as their head coach in 1965. The Dutch tactician originated the ideas of the modern way to play football before it was further spread by Johan Cruyff. He won the league title in his first season at the club with stars like Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens.

He spent the next few years perfecting the art of total football, which was completely different to the defensive styles of play prevalent all across Europe at that time. He won four league titles with Ajax and built a scintillating team which went on to win three consecutive European Cups. Michels also won the La Liga with Barcelona and the UEFA European Championship with Netherlands in 1988. He also led the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup final in 1974 but ended up losing to West Germany. While the 1974 Dutch team did not end up winning, the brand of football they played under Michels was absolutely beautiful and something that is still talked about to this day.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson

Credit: Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson needs no introduction. He is unanimously considered as the greatest manager ever. The legacy he created at Manchester United exceeds the achievements of any other football manager. Ferguson took charge of Manchester United in 1986 when they were in the shadow of their archrivals Liverpool. He spent nearly three decades at the club and transformed them into the most successful English club ever.

The Scottish football manager won the coveted Premier League title an astonishing 13 times. His team absolutely dominated one of the most competitive eras of English football. He helped the club win many other domestic trophies as well as the UEFA Champions League twice. He made Manchester United the biggest club in the world during his time. All the prestige surrounding the club, even years after Ferguson retired, is thanks to the legacy he built while managing the club.

Alex Ferguson built some legendary teams while at the club, including the one which won the treble in the 1998/99 season. He helped develop a plethora of legends for Manchester United, including the likes of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only did Ferguson build the best legacy a football manager has ever had, but he also ended up shaping and developing Cristiano Ronaldo, who is arguably the greatest footballer ever. His accomplishments speak about how good a football manager he was, and it is almost impossible for any manager ever to overtake his legacy.

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