Who are the best football managers of all time as of 2023? (2024)

Did you know football managers select teams of players for matches and their formation? Managing a football team is a challenging task. The manager must negotiate player contracts and plan, strategise, discipline, and motivate players during games. The best football managers of all time have handled this stressful job with grace and honour.

The best football managers of all time have recorded impeccable results in various events. They have worked extremely hard and formed close relationships with all players to ensure their teams reach the top.

Best football managers of all time: Top 10 list

Have a look at the list of the top 10 best football managers of all time below. Discover more about them, including the teams they coach and their ages.

10. Mircea Lucescu

• 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

Mircea Lucescu is a Romanian professional football manager and former player. He is in charge of Dynamo Kyiv, a Ukrainian Premier League club. He was appointed as Dynamo Kyiv's manager in 2020.

Before then, he managed Shakhtar Donetsk, where he guided the Ukrainian team to every home trophy and the 2009 UEFA Cup. Since his debut in the football scene, he has bagged eight Ukrainian Premier League titles, seven Ukrainian Super Cups and six Ukrainian Cups. His contract will expire on 30th June 2024.

9. Arsène Wenger

• Full name: Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger
• Date of birth: 22nd October 1949
• Age: 73 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Strasbourg, France
• Nationality: French
• Team/ club: Arsenal

Did you know Arsène Wenger has managed Arsenal for over 21 years? He is revered for keeping Arsenal at the top of the English Premier League, making him one of the best managers of all time in football.

Under his leadership, the team has won three league titles and seven FA Cups. In 2006, his team reached the Champions League final. He was voted Manager of the Year in 1998, 2002 and 2004, and his net worth is $48 million.

8. Pep Guardiola

• 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

Before Pep was elevated to the managerial role, he played as a defensive midfielder for Barcelona. He assumed the position of Manchester City's manager on 1st July 2016.

Since his appointment as Manchester City's manager, he has won three La Liga titles, three Super Cups, two domestic Cups, two Champions League, two European Super Cups, and two World Cups. His stellar performance has made him one of the best English football managers of all time.

7. Marcello Lippi

• Full name: Marcello Romeo Lippi
• Date of birth: 12th April 1948
• Age: 74 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Viareggio, Tuscany, Italy
• Nationality: Italian
• Team/ club: Chinese National Football Team

During the 2006 World Cup matches, Marcello Lippi led the Italian team to victory. Since he debuted on the football scene, he has won five league titles, one domestic cup, and the 1996 Champions League with Juventus.

His most recent manager job was in the Chinese National Football Team. He has since officially retired from management and has a net worth of $30 million

6. Antonio Conte

• Full name: Antonio Conte Cavaliere
• Date of birth: 31st July 1969
• Age: 53 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Lecce, Italy
• Nationality: Italian
• Team/ club: Tottenham Hotspur

Before becoming a manager, Antonio Conte coached Juventus. During the 2011/12 season, he led Juventus to the Series A title without losing a single game. He stayed with Juventus for three years before managing Italy for their Euro 2016 campaign.

In 2016, he joined Chelsea as a coach and won the Premier League in his first season. He claimed a record of 30 league victories. He also won the 2018 FA Cup before taking a coaching role at Inter Milan in 2019. He recently joined Tottenham Hotspur as the head coach.

5. Diego Simeone

• 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

Before his managerial role at Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone won two league titles in Argentina. After his appointment at Atletico Madrid, he guided the team to victory in the 2012 Europa League.

His team crushed Chelsea in the European Super Cup during this time before winning the 2013 Spanish domestic cup. Today, he is one of the top five managers of all time, with a net worth of $130 million.

4. Jürgen Klopp

• Full name: Jürgen Norbert Klopp
• Date of birth: 16th June 1967
• Age: 55 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Stuttgart, West Germany
• Nationality: German
• Team/ club: Liverpool

During Klopp's early years of his career, he transformed the fortunes of Borussia Dortmund by bringing the team league titles in 2011 and 2012. He also brought the German Cup home in 2012. Today, he is the manager of the Premier League club Liverpool. His net worth is $50 million, and his annual salary is about $10 million.

3. Louis Van Gaal

• Full name: Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal
• Date of birth: 8th August 1951
• Age: 71 years (as of 2023)
• Place of birth: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Nationality: Dutch
• Team/ club: Netherlands national team

Louis Van Gaal is the manager of the Netherlands national team. During his at Ajax, he won the 1995 Champions League, the 1992 UEFA Cup, three league titles, and one domestic cup. In Bayern Munich and Barcelona, he added three more league titles and a domestic cup.

Later, Loius Van Gaal took over the management at Manchester United but was dismissed. In August 2019, he was appointed the manager of the Netherlands national team for the third time.

2. José Mourinho

• 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

José Mourinho is known for his well-organised nature, especially his team's defences. In his career, he has won eight league titles and four domestic cups with Chelsea, Porto, 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.

Mourinho has previously managed Porto, Benfica, Uniao de Leiria, Manchester United, Chelsea (twice), Roma, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Tottenham during his managerial career. Today, he is the head coach of Roma.

1. Carlo Ancelotti

• 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

When Carlo Ancelotti won the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid, he became the only one of three managers to have won the tournament three times. He had earlier won it twice with Inter Milan in 2003 and 2007.

In 2022, he won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League for a fourth time after leading Real Madrid to glory in the final in Paris. Today, 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.

Who is the greatest football manager of all time?

Carlo Ancelotti scoops the first position on the list of the greatest soccer managers of all time. He is the manager of Real Madrid, a La Liga club.

Who are the best football coaches of all time?

The best soccer coaches of all time include Sir Alex Ferguson, Arrigo Sacchi, Rinus Michels, Helenio Herrera, Johan Cruyff, and Bob Paisley.

Who is the greatest manager in soccer history?

The greatest manager is arguably Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid. Other notable managers are José Mourinho, Louis Van Gaal, Jürgen Klopp, Diego Simeone, Antonio Conte, Marcello Lippi, Pep Guardiola, Arsène Wenger, and Mircea Lucescu.

Who are the top five soccer players who turned into managers?

The top five soccer players who turned into managers are Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Zinedine Zidane, Vincente del Bosque, and Jupp Heynckes.

Who is the No 1 manager in football?

The number one manager is arguably Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid. Others with impeccable records are José Mourinho, Louis Van Gaal, Jürgen Klopp, Diego Simeone, Antonio Conte, Marcello Lippi, Pep Guardiola, Arsène Wenger, and Mircea Lucescu.

The world of soccer is pretty competitive. Proper management makes a team more likely succeed in major games and seasons. Through the leadership of the best football managers of all time, soccer clubs have flourished and won numerous games and awards.

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