In the best football match ever or an iconic win, there is always a mastermind behind the scene who orchestrated everything, and they are non-other than football managers. They have wide-ranging responsibilities, including selecting the team, choosing the tactics, recruiting and transferring players, negotiating player contracts, and speaking to the media.
There are many charismatic, strict and bold football managers ou there. There may be conflict on who to call the best or successful one. Well, the most common and sensible thing to do is to count the number of titles they have won in their career so far.
Do you know which football manager has won the most major trophies in the history of football? Well, Football Devils presents the Top 10 Football Managers with the most trophies in history.
10. Carlo Ancelotti – 23
The Italian Don Carlo Ancelotti is a football manager who makes the top 10 list as the football managers with the most trophies. He has racked up 23 titles during his managerial career. Regarded as one of the coolest and the greatest managers of all time, Carlo has won the Champions League trophy for a record four times as coach (twice with AC Milan and twice with Real Madrid).
It’s GREAT, right? What’s more fascinating is, that Ancelotti is also the first and only one to have managed teams in five Champions League finals.
Ancelotti began his managerial career at Reggiana, Parma, and Juventus between 1995 to 2001. Then he was appointed as manager of AC Milan where Carlo won two Champions League and Coppa Italia. During his tenure with Milan, Ancelotti was awarded the Serie A Coach of the Year twice.
In 2009, he was appointed manager of Chelsea, winning the domestic double. Ancelotti was appointed manager of Real Madrid in 2013. In his first season, he led Real Madrid to their long-sought tenth Champions League title, La Décima, and also won the Copa del Rey. After managing Bayern, Napoli, and Everton, he returned to Real Madrid in 2021. He then went on to win a Liga–Champions League double in the 2021-22 season. And HE IS STILL GOING STRONG!
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Juventus | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1 |
| AC Milan | UEFA Champions League UEFA Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup Serie A Coppa Italia Supercoppa Italiana | 2 2 1 1 1 1 |
| Chelsea | Premier League FA Cup FA Community Shield | 1 1 1 |
| PSG | Ligue 1 | 1 |
| Real Madrid | UEFA Champions League UEFA Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup La Liga Copa del Rey Supercopa de Espana | 2 1 1 1 1 1 |
| Bayern Munich | Bundesliga DFL – Supercup | 1 2 |
Where is Carlo Ancelotti now? What does he do?
The Italian manager, Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as manager of Real Madrid in the summer of 2021. He led his team to win its 14th Champions League title defeating strong teams like Chelsea, PSG, Man City, and Liverpool. Real Madrid believes he is a perfect coach for the team after Zinedine Zidane who won the Champions League titles three times in a row. As things stand, Carlo Ancelotti will not leave Real Madrid soon.
9. Roberto Mancini – 23
On number 9, we have another classy Italian manager Roberto Mancini. He has won 23 major titles during his managerial career so far. His first managerial role was at Fiorentina in 2001, at only 36 years old, winning a Coppa Italia title.
The following season, he took over as manager at Lazio, where he guided the club to another Coppa Italia title. In 2004, Mancini was offered the manager’s job at Inter Milan, with which he won three consecutive Serie A titles, a club record; later he was dismissed in 2008.
After being out of football for over a year, Mancini was appointed as Manchester City manager in December 2009. He helped City win the FA Cup in the 2010–11 season, the club’s first major trophy in 35 years, and their first league title in 44 years in the 2011–12 season.
Later, Mancini took over managerial duties at Turkish club Galatasaray in September 2013, winning the Turkish Cup in his only season at the club. Then he returned to Inter Milan for two more years before managing the Russian side Zenit.
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Inter Milan | Serie A Coppa Italia Italian Super Cup | 3 2 2 |
| Lazio | Coppa Italia | 1 |
| Fiorentina | Coppa Italia | 1 |
| Manchester City | English Premier League FA Cup FA Community Shield | 1 3 1 |
| Galatasaray | Turkey Cup | 1 |
Where is Roberto Mancini now? What does he do?
Roberto Mancini is currently the manager of the Italy national team. He took charge of the Italian national team after Italy had failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In 2021, Mancini guided Italy to their second-ever European Championship at Euro 2020.
Under his management, Italy failed to reach the World Cup for the second time in a row after a loss to North Macedonia. But his job still remains!
8. Giovanni Trapattoni- 23
Giovanni Trapattoni, popularly known as “Trap” is also an Italian football manager who has 23 trophies to his name. He is even considered the most successful club coach in Italian football history. Trapattoni has won 10 league titles in Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Austria.
Alongside Udo Lattek and José Mourinho, he is one of the three coaches to have won all three major European club competitions (European Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup) and the only one to make it with the same club (Juventus).
Trap is one of the rarest gem, to have won the European Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup as both a player and manager. Trapattoni coached his native Italy national team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004. But unfortunately, Giovanni could not replicate his club successes with Italy National Team.
He also managed the Republic of Ireland national football team. Trapattoni led them to their first European Championships in 24 years after a successful UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. This followed narrowly missing out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup after his team was controversially knocked out by France.
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Juventus | Serie A Coppa Italia European Cup UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup UEFA Cup European Super Cup Intercontinental Cup | 6 2 1 1 2 1 1 |
| Inter Milan | Serie A Supercoppa Italiana UEFA Cup | 1 1 1 |
| Bayern Munich | Bundesliga DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal | 1 1 1 |
| Benfica | Primeira Liga | 1 |
| Red Bull Salzburg | Austrian Bundesliga | 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | Nations Cup | 1 |
Where is Giovanni Trapattoni now? What does he do?
Giovanni Trapattoni is now 82 years old and is already retired from a managerial role. In August 2010, Trapattoni was admitted to a hospital in Dublin, one day before Ireland’s friendly with Argentina. He underwent surgery in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin on 11 August.
7. Ottmar Hitzfeld – 25
Next on our list is a German manager Ottmar Hitzfeld who is considered one of the most successful managers in Germany as well as in international football. During his managerial period, he won 25 trophies in Germany and Switzerland. On top of that Hitzfeld is also a trained mathematician and sports teacher who has been elected “World Coach of the Year” twice.
The Hitzfeld dance started in Switzerland, but his most prominent success came in the German Bundesliga. His most trophy count was with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich including the Champions League with both clubs. Hitzfeld had the most successful year of his career in the 2010-2011 season in which he won the treble for Bayern Munich. He also managed the Swiss national team in 2008. Switzerland finished top of its qualifying group to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Hitzfeld’s final match was a 1–0 extra-time loss against Argentina in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup on 1 July 2014.
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Aarau | Swiss Cup | 1 |
| Grasshopper | Swiss Super League Swiss Cup Swiss Super Cup | 2 2 1 |
| Borussia Dortmund | UEFA Champions League Bundesliga DFB-Supercup | 1 2 2 |
| Bayern Munich | UEFA Champions League Bundesliga DFB-Pokal DFB-Ligapokal Intercontinental | 1 5 3 4 1 |
Where is Ottmar Hitzfeld now? What does he do?
Ottmar Hitzfeld announced his retirement from coaching after the World Cup 2014. He is now 73 years old. It was said that Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande once offered Hitzfeld an 18–month-long contract, with a value of 24 million euros. However, he turned it down.
6. Jose Mourinho – 26
Self-nicknamed The Special One, Portuguese football manager Jose Mourinho is the most iconic, controversial as well as successful at the same time. With 26 major titles to his name, he is one of the football managers with the most trophies in history. Mourinho was named Portuguese Coach of the Century by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) in 2015. He was the first coach to spend more than £1 billion on transfers.
It all started with Benfica in 2000, but soon with Porto in 2002 Mourinho won the Primeira Liga twice, a Taça de Portugal, the UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League, Porto’s first European Cup title since 1987. The Special One then went on to manage Chelsea from 2004 to 2007. In 2010, he went to win UEFA Champions League again with Inter Milan after joining them in 2008, a first for an Italian club.
Jose then went on to manage top teams in world football like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham and Roma where he went on to win major titles. But he did not manage to win a single trophy with Tottenham. Jose was sacked just before a cup final!
Neverthless Jose Mourinho is considered the most charismatic with a unique personality football manager the world has ever seen.
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Porto | UEFA Champions League UEFA Cup Primeira Liga Taca de Portugal Supertaca Candido de Oliveira | 1 1 2 1 1 |
| Chelsea | Premier League FA Cup Football League Cup FA Community Shield | 3 1 3 1 |
| Inter Milan | UEFA Champions League Serie A Coppa Italia Supercoppa Italiana | 1 2 1 1 |
| Real Madrid | La Liga Copa del Rey Supercopa de Espana | 1 1 1 |
| Manchester United | UEFA Europa League ELF Cup FA Community Shield | 1 1 1 |
| AS Roma | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1 |
Where is Jose Mourinho now? What does he do?
Jose Mourinho is the current head coach of the Italian Serie A club AS Roma. He joined the club on 4 May 2021 replacing Paulo Fonseca. On 24 May, Mourinho won his first title with the Giallorossi by defeating Feyenoord in the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League Final. This was Roma’s first trophy in 11 years, making him the third manager to have won all three existing major European trophies, and the first to achieve the UEFA treble by winning the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.
5. Jock Stein – 26
Jock Stein was a Scottish football manager who has won 26 major titles to his name. He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish League championships between 1966 and 1974. The legend of Scotland spent 13 years at Celtic winning numerous trophies including the European Cup in 1967.
Stein started his managerial magic in 1960 with Dunfermline. After short successful spells at Dunfermline and Hibernian, Jock Stein joined his lifelong club, Celtic in 1965. He was appointed manager of Leeds United in 1978. But he had never shown any interest in managing in England. Stein was appointed Scotland manager on 5 October 1978, which was his 56th birthday. Scotland secured 1982 FIFA World Cup place under Stein, finishing top of their group and only losing once.
Jock Stein is still regarded as one of the best football managers The Great Britain has ever seen.
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Scottish Cup | 1 |
| Celtic | European Cup Scottish League Championship Scottish Cup Scottish League Cup | 1 10 8 6 |
Where is Jock Stein now? What does he do?
Jock Stein had ceased taking his prescribed medication for heart illness so that the adverse effects would not interfere with his match preparations, Scotland faced Wales in a 1986 World Cup qualification match on September 10, 1985. Scotland qualified for the qualifying play-off against Australia after a 1–1 tie. But unfortunately, the legendary football manager Jock Stein passes away shortly after in the stadium’s medical area.
4. Valeriy Lobanovskyi – 29
Now the manager at number 4 might surprise you. He is also regarded as The greatest football coach world never heard of. He is the Ukrainian legend Valeriy Lobanovskyi. He is most famous for his spells managing FC Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national football team. Lobanovskyi established Dynamo as the most dominant club in Soviet football in the 1970s and 1980s. Winning a lot of trophies, he is one of the football managers with the most trophies in history.
Lobanovskyi was named the manager of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 1968, a year after retiring as a player. In 1975 his Dynamo Kyiv team became the first side from the Soviet Union to win a major European trophy when they beat Hungarian side Ferencváros in the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup. In 2002 he was awarded the Hero of Ukraine award (posthumously), his nation’s highest honor, for his contribution to Ukrainian football.
The legendary Valeriy Lobanovskyi is still regarded as THE BEST UKRAINIAN FOOTBALL MANAGER TILL THIS DATE!
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Dynamo Kyiv | Soviet Top League Soviet Cup USSR Super Cup Ukrainian National League Ukrainian Cup European Cup Winners Cup European Super Cup | 8 6 3 5 3 2 1 |
| Kuwait | Gulf Cup of Nations | 1 |
Where is Valeriy Lobanovskyi now? What does he do?
Lobanovskyi had to deal with health issues since 1988, he suffered from a heart attack twice which required surgery. On 7 May 2002 during Dynamo Kyiv’s game against FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhya, Lobanovskyi fainted and was hospitalized with a stroke.
Lobanovskyi underwent brain surgery and his condition was classified as critical. The press, which was keeping a close eye on Lobanovsky’s condition, said that there was still hope, although Valeriy Lobanovskyi had not regained consciousness. On the 13th of May, at 8:35 p.m., his heart stopped beating.
3. Pep Guardiola – 32
Any football lover around the world knows Pep Guardiola. He is a Spanish football manager who is ranked in the third position among football managers with the most trophies in the history of football. Considered one of the greatest managers of all time, Pep holds the records for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League.
In 2011, he was named the FIFA World Coach of the Year. One thing is certain PEP GUARDIOLA IS A SERIAL WINNER! anywhere he goes he wins!
Guardiola started his managerial career at Barcelona B. He took charge of the Barcelona first team in 2008. In his first season as manager, he led Barcelona to the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. In doing so, Guardiola became the youngest manager to win the aforementioned European competition.
Pep went on to win 14 trophies in just 4 seasons with Barcelona. The Spaniard has been collecting trophies with Bayern Munich and Manchester City ever since. In the 2018-19 season with Manchester City, his team won all four domestic titles for the first time in English football under Guardiola.
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Barcelona | UEFA Champions League UEFA Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup Laliga Copa del Rey Supercopa de Espana | 2 2 2 3 2 3 |
| Bayern Munich | UEFA Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup Bundesliga DFB-Pokal | 1 1 3 2 |
| Manchester City | Premier League FA Cup ELF Cup FA Community Shield | 4 1 4 2 |
Where is Pep Guardiola now? What does he do?
Pep Guardiola is a current manager of Premier League club Manchester City. He signed a contract with City on 1 February 2016. Since then he won 11 trophies with the club. He is a very versatile tactical and thoughtful manager that’s why he makes the top 3 list among football managers with the most trophies.
2. Mircea Lucescu – 35
The Romanian Mircea Lucescu residing on the number 2 of our list might surprise you. But make no mistake Mircea Lucescu is one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. He is one of the football managers with the most trophies under his belt. During his managerial career, he won 35 trophies with different clubs in Romania, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia. Lucescu was named Romania Coach of the Year in 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2021, and Ukraine Coach of the Year in 2006 and between 2008 and 2014.
Lucescu is the second football manager with the most trophies in the history of football. He is well known for his twelve-year stint in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk, where he became the most successful coach in the team’s history. Mircea won eight Ukrainian Premier League titles, six Ukrainian Cups, and seven Ukrainian Super Cups, and the 2008–09 UEFA Cup with the club.
He also won trophies in Ukraine with rival Dynamo Kyiv, as well as Romanian league championships with Dinamo București and Rapid București, and Turkish Süper Lig titles with Galatasaray and Beşiktaş.
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| Dinamo București | Divizia A Cupa României | 1 2 |
| Rapid București | Divizia A Cupa României Supercupa României | 1 1 1 |
| Galatasaray | UEFA Super Cup Süper Lig | 1 1 |
| Beşiktaş | Süper Lig | 1 |
| Shaktar Donetsk | UEFA Cup Ukrainian Premier League Ukrainian Cup Ukrainian Super Cup | 1 8 6 7 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | Russian Super Cup | 1 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | Ukrainian Premier League Ukrainian Cup Ukrainian Super Cup | 1 1 1 |
Where is Mircea Lucescu now? What does he do?
Mircea Lucescu is still on business as he is currently managing the Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kyiv. On 23 July 2020, Lucescu returned to Ukraine after signing a two-year contract with the main rival of his former club Shakhtar Donetsk, Dynamo Kyiv. He secured his first league title with Dynamo Kyiv on 25 April, following a 5–0 victory against Inhulets.
1. Sir Alex Ferguson – 48
On the top of our list, there remains the GREATEST FOOTBALL MANAGER EVER! the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scottish football manager has the most trophies, 49 to his name, more than any other manager in the history of football. He is best known for managing one of the biggest football clubs in the world, Manchester United from 1986 to 2013.
Ferguson is the longest-serving manager of Manchester United and is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time. He was knighted in the 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his services to the game after winning a famous treble with Man United.
Ferguson started his managerial career at East Stirlingshire in June 1974, at the age of just 32. It was a part-time job that paid £40 per week. He then managed St Mirren and Aberdeen where he won various trophies.
Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986. During his 26 years with Manchester United and the rest is as they say HISTORY! He won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles. Ferguson won 10 Manager of the Year awards, 27 Manager of the Month awards, and managed the most games in the UEFA Champions League (190).
There will never be another Sir Alex Ferguson nor his record is set to be overcome anytime soon. The living legend Sir Alex Ferguson is and will always be the GREATEST MANAGER TO HAVE MANAGED THE GAME!
| Teams Managed | Competitions | Trophies |
| St Mirren | Scottish First Division | 1 |
| Aberdeen | European Cup Winners Cup European Super Cup Scottish Premier Division Scottish Cup Scottish League Cup | 1 1 3 4 1 |
| Manchester United | UEFA Champions League European Cup Winners Cup European Super Cup Premier League FA Cup Football League Cup FA Community Shield Intercontinental Cup FIFA Club World Cup | 2 1 1 13 5 4 9 1 1 |
Where is Alex Ferguson now? What does he do?
Alex Ferguson is now retired from his managerial position. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season after winning the Premier League in his final season with Manchester United. In 2017, Ferguson was named among the 10 most influential coaches since the foundation of UEFA in 1954. Ferguson now has often seen in the important games of Manchester United.
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