Top Most Successful Managers In The UEFA Champions League

Italian tactician, Carlo Ancelotti is currently the most successful football manager in the history of the UEFA Champions League after helping Real Madrid win their record-extending 15th title on Saturday, June 1, 2024.

Carlo Ancelotti who is the first and only manager to win at least a league title in each of the top five leagues in Europe now have a record five Champions League medals as a coach.

The 64-year-old Italian tactician won two Champions League titles at AC Milan in 2003 and 2007. He repeated the feat three times at Real Madrid in 2014, 2022, and 2024.

Three coaches, Bob Paisley, Zinédine Zidane, and Pep Guardiola have won the Champions League three times respectively.

Late Paisley won the title three times at Premier League club, Liverpool in 1977, 1978, and 1981. The English tactician died in 1996 at age 77.

France tactician, Zidane is the only football manager to win the Champions League three times in a row, 2016, 2017, and 2018, while at Real Madrid. He is currently without a coaching job.

Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola is the joint second most successful manager in the Champions League. He won the title twice at FC Barcelona, in 2009, and 2011. He also won the title once at Manchester City, in 2023.

Below are the football managers who have won the UEFA Champions League twice in the history of the competition:

José Villalonga (ESP) – Real Madrid 1956, 1957

Luis Carniglia (ARG) – Real Madrid 1958, 1959

Béla Guttmann (HUN) – Benfica 1961, 1962

Helenio Herrera (ARG) – Inter 1964, 1965

Miguel Muñoz (ESP) – Real Madrid 1960, 1966

Nereo Rocco (ITA) – AC Milan 1963, 1969

Ștefan Kovács (ROU) – Ajax 1972, 1973

Dettmar Cramer (GER) – Bayern 1975, 1976

Brian Clough (ENG) – Nottingham Forest 1979, 1980

Ernst Happel (AUT) – Feyenoord 1970, Hamburg 1983

Arrigo Sacchi (ITA) – AC Milan 1989, 1990

Ottmar Hitzfeld (GER) – Dortmund 1997, Bayern 2001

Vicente del Bosque (ESP) – Real Madrid 2000, 2002

Sir Alex Ferguson (SCO) – Man United 1999, 2008

José Mourinho (POR) – Porto 2004, Inter 2010

Jupp Heynckes (GER) – Real Madrid 1998, Bayern 2013