The 15 Greatest Soccer Coaches Of All Time

Every soccer fan understands that a good coach is a driving force behind a team’s victory. A soccer coach is a key figure who works with the players to maximize their potential and devise a strategy to bring out the best in the team.

What are the accomplishments that place the coaches on this list of the best soccer coaches of all time among the long lists of soccer coaches? Let us now go through this list of the best soccer coaches of all time to learn more about them.

The 15 Greatest Soccer Coaches of All Time

The following list was compiled from various websites such as Business Insider, All Famous, and others. Here are 15 of the world’s most celebrated and best soccer coaches who have excelled in their roles.

15. Marcello Lippi

Marcello Lippi was born in the northern Italian town of Viareggio. Initially, he began his professional soccer career in 1969 as a sweeper’s defender. Marcello was the coach of the Italian national soccer team from 2004 to 2006. Similarly, in his early days, he coached for Juventus and Internazionale.

He is currently in charge of the Chinese national team “Guangzhou Evergrande.” Marcello is widely regarded as one of the best soccer coaches in the world. Times magazine also named him one of the top 50 managers of all time.

Marcello has won one FIFA World Cup, five Series Championships, and one UEFA Champions League title in his career. It also includes three Chinese Super League titles and one AFC Champions League title.

14. Louis Van Gaal

Louis Van Gaal, nicknamed the Iron Tulip, began his career as a youngster with Amsterdam amateur club, RKSV de Meer. Van Gaal has nearly three decades of coaching experience. Starting with Ajax in the early 1990s, this Dutch football manager has managed some of the biggest clubs in the world.

After that, he went on to manage FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United. Despite his formal retirement in 2019, he will return to manage the Netherlands national team beginning August 4th, 2021.

In his illustrious coaching career, Louis van Gaal has won two La Liga championships and three Eredivisie titles. It also includes one Bundesliga, one Copa del Rey, one UEFA Cup, and one UEFA Champions League.

13. Fabio Capello

Despite his reputation for being overly strict, Fabio Capello is regarded as one of the most successful coaches. He began his soccer career as a midfielder for SPAL in 1964. Capello began his coaching career after 15 years as a professional player.

He began coaching with AC Milan, where he had great success, winning four Serie A championships. Since then, he has managed some of the world’s most prestigious clubs, including Real Madrid, Juventus, Roma, and the national teams of England and Russia.

Capello won five Serie A championships, two La Liga championships, and one UEFA Champions League title before retiring as a coach.

12. Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte, one of the most celebrated players in Juventus history, began his coaching career in 2006. During his three-year tenure as manager of Juventus, Conte led the club to the Serie A title, winning every season. Chelsea and Milan are two other clubs that Conte has managed.

He also managed the Italian national team until the 2016 UEFA Euros. He won the Premier League with Chelsea in his first season, the FA Cup in 2018, and the Serie A title in his second and final season with Milan.

11. Diego Pablo Simeone González

Diego Simeone is regarded as a rising star in the world of soccer coaching. He began his professional soccer career in 1987 before moving on to coaching.

Simeone has previously coached Estudiantes de La Plata, River Plate, San Lorenzo, Catania in Italy, Argentine Sides Racing Club, and Atletico Madrid. He is regarded as a key club figure due to his contributions to Atletico Madrid as both a professional player and a coach.

Simeone’s achievements include two UEFA Europa Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, and two La Liga titles. He has also won the Copa del Rey, the Spanish domestic cup, and the Spanish League title in 2014.

10. Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti (nicknamed “Carletto”) is widely regarded as one of the best soccer coaches in the world. Ancelotti is one of only three managers to have three UEFA Champions League titles. Ancelotti is also one of only seven people to have won the European Cup both as a player and as a manager.

He began his professional playing career as a midfielder for an Italian club before becoming a coach. He currently manages Real Madrid of La Liga. Ancelotti has also managed Juventus, Reggiana, Parma, AC Milan, Chelsea FC, Bayern Munich, PSG, Everton, and Napoli.

His coaching achievements include two FIFA Club World Cups, one Serie A championship, one Premier League championship, and one Coppa Italia. He has also won three European Super Cups, one Italian Super Cup, two German Super Cups, and one FA Cup.

9. Giovanni Trapattoni

Giovanni Trapattoni is one of only five coaches in soccer history to have won league titles in four different European countries. Trapattoni is also regarded as the most successful coach in Serie A’s modern era.

Trapattoni was a professional footballer who played his entire club career for AC Milan. He began his coaching career at Milan as a youth team coach before becoming a caretaker coach.

Trapattoni’s coaching career included stints at Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, the Italian national team, and the Republic of Ireland. During his managerial career, he won seven Serie A titles, one Bundesliga title, and one Primeira Liga title.

He has also won one Austrian Bundesliga championship, one UEFA Europa League, and one UEFA Champions League.

8. Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff, nicknamed “El Falco,” is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer coaches of all time. He was a great coach as well as one of the greatest players of all time. During his coaching career, Cruyff managed Ajax and FC Barcelona. He was a significant figure in soccer history and is still regarded as such.

During his managerial career, Cruyff won four La Liga championships, two UEFA Cup Winners Cups, and one UEFA Champions League.

Sadly, Johan Cruyff died on March 24, 2016. Fans of the sport, however, remember him as one of the greatest soccer players and best soccer coaches of all time. His soccer philosophy continues to have an impact on coaches and players today.

7. Ernst Happel

When it comes to some of the best soccer coaches of all time, Ernst Happel must be mentioned. Happel is one of only six managers to have won top-flight domestic league titles in at least four different countries. He is also one of the first five managers to have two clubs win the European Cup.

Happel retired from soccer in 1962. He then began his management career with ADO Den Haag. As a manager, he oversees some of the world’s most prestigious clubs, including Club Brugge, Hamburg, and the Netherlands national soccer team.

During his managerial career, he won one Eredivisie championship, three Belgian championships, and two Bundesliga championships. He has also won two Austrian championships and two UEFA Champions Leagues. Unfortunately, Happel died of lung cancer in 1992, at the age of 66.

6. Helenio Herrera

Helenio Herrera is a naturalized Frenchman who is widely regarded as a major soccer influencer. Herrera began his career as a professional soccer player before transitioning to coaching. He was the first manager to be recognized for his team’s achievements. As a result, he was regarded as a soccer revolutionary during his career.

During his coaching career, he was in charge of some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Inter Milan. His major titles include four La Liga championships, three Serie A championships, and two UEFA Champions League titles.

Herrera died on November 9, 1997, at the age of 87.

5. Arrigo Sacchi

Arrigo Sacchi, unlike the majority of the coaches on this list, was never a professional soccer player before becoming a coach.

“I NEVER REALIZED THAT TO BECOME A JOCKEY, YOU HAVE TO BE A HORSE FIRST,” HE IS FAMOUS FOR SAYING. BEFORE ENTERING THE SOCCER WORLD, HE WAS A SHOE SALESMAN.

During his managerial career, he oversaw well-known clubs such as AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and the Italian national soccer team. Following that, he gradually rose to become one of the best soccer coaches of all time. Sacchi did not win a World Cup, but he did win one Serie A championship and two UEFA Champions Leagues.

4. Ottmar Hitzfeld

Ottmar Hitzfeld (nicknamed “Der General”) is a well-known coach in the soccer world. He is one of only five managers to have won the UEFA Champions League with two clubs. Before entering the soccer world, Hitzfeld worked as secondary school mathematics and sports teacher.

He began his coaching career in the early 1980s after becoming a professional soccer player in the late 1960s. Hitzfled was appointed head coach of Grasshopper, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and the Swiss national team.

His managerial record includes two Swiss Super League championships, seven Bundesliga championships, and two UEFA Champions League titles. Hitzfeld retired in 2014 after six years of successful coaching.

3. José Mourinho

José Mourinho is a Portuguese-born soccer coach who is widely regarded as one of the best of all time. Mourinho began his coaching career after playing in the Portuguese Leagues as a midfielder. He has an incredible winning percentage.

Despite his divisive personality, he is highly regarded for his tactical knowledge, charisma, and perfectionist tendencies. Mourinho is currently the head coach of Roma. He previously managed FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and other clubs.

Mourinho has won two Primeira Liga titles, three Premier League titles, and two Serie A titles. in addition to one La Liga championship, two UEFA Europa League titles, and two UEFA Champions League titles

2. Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane is also unquestionably one of the best soccer coaches in the world today. Zidane began playing football at the age of five. However, his passion for soccer propelled him to the ranks of the best professional soccer players, with exceptional control and dribbling abilities.

After demonstrating his exceptional abilities as a player, he was appointed coach of Real Madrid Castilla in 2014. Zidane’s managerial abilities have led to his team winning one La Liga championship and three UEFA Champions League titles.

He is currently under contract with Real Madrid until the summer of 2022.

1. Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola is a well-known soccer coach in the world. He has won the most consecutive league games in La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. Guardiola joined Barcelona’s youth academy when he was 13 years old. His formal training began there.

He is widely regarded as one of the best soccer players and midfielders in the world. Guardiola retired as a professional player in 2007 and began his managerial career.

He began his managerial career at Barcelona B. He went on to manage other clubs such as Bayern Munich and Manchester City after that. Guardiola has three La Liga championships, three Bundesliga championships, one Premier League title, and two UEFA Champions League titles to his name.

He is currently under contract with Manchester City until the summer of 2023.

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