The Top 10 Best Football Managers in the World

By Admin On May 16, 2024

The Top 10 Best Football Managers in the World

Who Are the Best Football Managers?

Managing a football team requires a diverse array of talents and a substantial knowledge of the game. Football managers should be able to work individually with players to motivate and discipline them. Their instructions need to be communicated clearly and effectively, and they must anticipate the physical and psychological condition of their players.

Of special importance is a manager’s ability to tactically organize their team and to make intelligent substitutions and tactical changes during matches. Off the field, they need to improve and develop the players they have, and bring in new players who can add to the team.

As a prerequisite, managers need to earn the respect of their players by leading them competently. Many talented tacticians fail because they don’t have the authority to lead. It takes a special kind of individual to be both an artist and a drill sergeant. The managers on this list epitomize this character and have translated their knowledge and talent into remarkable success in the football world.

10. Manuel Pellegrini

Full name: Manuel Lúis Pellegrini Ripamonti
Nationality: Chile
Date of birth: September 16, 1953

Manuel Pellegrini achieved notoriety when he was sacked by Real Madrid in 2010 to make way for José Mourinho. He had amassed 96 points in the league that season. However, Pellegrini’s greatest achievements came at Villarreal and Malaga. He guided Villarreal to 3rd in La Liga in 2005, and he took them to the Champions League semi-final the next season. He then led Villarreal to 2nd in La Liga in 2008, displacing Barcelona from the top two.

After the Real Madrid debacle, Pellegrini took over at Malaga and guided them to 4th in the league in his first season. In 2013, he took them to the quarter-final of the Champions League before being appointed Manchester City manager. At City, he won the Premier League and two domestic cups.

After leaving City in 2016, Pellegrini had a brief stint in China and a disappointing year with West Ham before returning to where he does his best work (Spain). Pellegrini took over at Real Betis in 2020 and delivered their first trophy in 17 years: the 2022 Copa del Rey (domestic cup).

Mircea Lucescu speaks seven languages and managed Shakhtar Donetsk from 2004 to 2016, guiding the Ukrainian team to every domestic trophy and the 2009 Europa League. Under his tenure, Shakhtar became a formidable force in European football, reaching the quarter-final of the Champions League in 2011.

Lucescu has won 13 league titles and 10 domestic cups during his time in Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. In 2016, he left Shakhtar to manage the Russian club, Zenit St. Petersburg. He went on to manage the Turkish national side, and he was appointed Dynamo Kyiv manager in 2020.

It has been a long road to the top for Luciano Spalletti, who most recently managed high-flying Napoli. He began his managerial career in 1993 with Empoli in the Italian third tier. In five years, he guided them to the top-flight (Serie A). Spalletti then took the perennially mid-table club, Udinese, to 4th place and a Champions League spot.

Spalletti was recruited by Roma in 2005 where he became an early proponent of the 4-2-3-1 formation, and introduced the “false-9” (later used by Pep Guardiola), which he used to improve their form and win the Coppa Italia (domestic cup) twice. He then won two league titles and a domestic cup in Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg.

Spalletti returned to Roma in 2016 and took them from mid-table to 2nd place. He was then recruited by Inter Milan and led them back into the Champions League after a six year absence. Most recently, Spalletti took charge of Napoli and, in 2023, delivered their first league title in 33 years (with five games to spare), playing an attacking brand of football that has been praised around Europe.

Known for his direct style of football, Louis Van Gaal is also a strict disciplinarian. Described as proud and arrogant, he uses a fusion of artistry and authority that has brought him astounding success as a manager. With Ajax, he won the 1995 Champions League, the 1992 UEFA Cup, three league titles, and one domestic cup. At Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he added three more league titles and one domestic cup.

Incredibly, he also led AZ to the Dutch league title in 2009. Van Gaal then guided a much belittled Dutch side to third place in the 2014 World Cup before taking over as Manchester United manager. His disappointing spell at United nevertheless included an FA Cup win in 2016.

After a short “retirement,” Van Gaal took charge of the Netherlands again in 2021. At the 2022 World Cup, they were defeated by the eventual champions, Argentina, in the quarter-final. He would resign as head coach after the tournament.

Antonio 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 three seasons (winning Serie A in each) before managing Italy’s Euro 2016 campaign. His team knocked Spain out of the tournament but narrowly lost to Germany on penalties.

Conte joined Chelsea in 2016 and won the Premier League in his first season, claiming a (then) record 30 league victories. He went on to win the 2018 FA Cup before taking over at Inter Milan in 2019. At Inter, Conte won the 2021 Serie A title, ending the fortunes of a Ronaldo-led Juventus, who had won the competition nine times in a row. A two-year spell at Tottenham followed, which ended in 2023 after Conte expressed his frustration with the players and the running of the club.

St. Petersburg