Behind (well, alongside) every great manager is a reliable right-hand man: their assistant manager.
Some manager and assistant combinations have enjoyed success over a sustained period; others have crammed the trophies into a much shorter space of time.
But all of the following duos have made their mark in the dugout, whether that be in the club game, the international game or both…
Carlo Ancelotti & Zinedine Zidane
Two of the most successful managers in Champions League history, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane were coaching colleagues at Real Madrid during the 2013/14 season.
They won two pieces of silverware that campaign, the Champions League and Copa del Rey, before Zidane went to take charge of Madrid’s reserve team.
Brian Clough & Peter Taylor
Beginning at Fourth Division Hartlepool United in 1965, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor formed one of the most enduring manager-assistant duos of all time.
Come the early 80s, the inimitable Clough and his great friend had won the First Division title with both Derby County and Nottingham Forest – and back-to-back European Cups with the latter.
Vicente del Bosque & Toni Grande
The coach who delivered Spain’s first World Cup triumph in 2010, Vicente del Bosque did it with number two Toni Grande by his side.
Real Madrid teammates in their playing days, the pair were also involved in two LaLiga title wins and two Champions League victories with Los Blancos around the turn of the 21st century.
Alex Ferguson & Brian Kidd
Alex Ferguson’s first great touchline partnership of the Premier League era came alongside Brian Kidd, a European Cup winner with Manchester United as a player.
The pair worked together in four title-winning campaigns, although Kidd left shortly before United’s 1998/99 treble success, after Ferguson criticised his assistant in his autobiography.
Alex Ferguson & Steve McClaren
Brian Kidd’s replacement at Old Trafford was Steve McClaren, who made a fine start to Manchester United life by assisting Alex Ferguson as the Red Devils did the treble.
Premier League titles followed in each of the next two seasons, as McClaren quickly garnered a reputation as a forward-thinking, tactically intelligent coach.
Pep Guardiola & Juanma Lillo
Once the youngest boss in LaLiga, managing Salamanca in his 20s, Juanma Lillo joined Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in 2020.
After two title-winning campaigns, Lillo left to take charge of Qatari side Al Sadd – but the duo reunited in 2023, ahead of a season which yielded yet more Premier League success and in which Lillo temporarily stepped in for Guardiola while he recovered from back surgery.
Pep Guardiola & Tito Vilanova
Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova first teamed up in the dugout with Barcelona B, before stepping up to the first team in 2008.
After a glittering four-year period which saw Barca play some of the most exquisite football the game has ever seen and claim every major trophy on offer, Guardiola stepped down and Vilanova succeeded him.
Jurgen Klopp & Zeljko Buvac
Jurgen Klopp described assistant manager Zeljko Buvac as the ‘brain’ of their coaching operation, which began at Mainz in 2001.
The two went on to enjoy great success with Borussia Dortmund – where they did the German double in 2010/11 – before working together for the first two-and-a-half years of Klopp’s Liverpool tenure.
Jurgen Klopp & Pep Lijnders
After parting ways with Zeljko Buvac at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp joined forces with Pep Lijnders, who had briefly managed Dutch second-tier outfit NEC.
They won it all with Liverpool – including the 2018/29 Champions League and the 2019/20 Premier League title, ending the Reds’ 30-year championship drought – and remained alongside each other until Klopp’s 2024 resignation.
Jose Mourinho & Steve Clarke
When Jose Mourinho first arrived at Chelsea in 2004, his number two was already in the building: Steve Clarke, a Blues legend from his playing days who had been coaching in the club’s youth set-up.
In the space of three seasons, Mourinho and Clarke won two Premier League titles – the first of them Chelsea’s first since 1955 – two League Cups and an FA Cup.
Jose Mourinho & Rui Faria
A trusted ally of Jose Mourinho for many years, Rui Faria has won trophies with his Portuguese compatriot at multiple clubs in multiple countries.
Since 2003, the pair have got their hands on major silverware at Porto, Chelsea, Inter – where they did the treble in 2010 – Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Bob Paisley & Joe Fagan
Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan formed one of Liverpool’s great dugout dream teams, the former having followed his old boss Bill Shankly as manager.
With Fagan’s invaluable input as his number two, Paisley led the Reds to First Division, League Cup and European Cup success – before passing the managerial baton to Fagan himself.
Helmut Schon & Jupp Derwall
Both excellent managers in their own right, Helmut Schon and Jupp Derwall were numbers one and two respectively as West Germany won Euro 1972 and the 1974 World Cup.
The duo were touchline colleagues for the best part of a decade, also taking their country to the final of Euro 1976.
Bill Shankly & Bob Paisley
The most iconic combination of coaches to take their seats in the Anfield dugout, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley were manager and assistant during a transformative era for Liverpool – as Shankly steered them from the Second Division to the First Division title and much more.
Paisley had become the Reds’ physio after retiring from playing for them in 1954, before progressing to reserve coach then Shankly’s right-hand man – then manager himself in 1974.
Diego Simeone & German Burgos
Atletico Madrid and Argentina teammates in midfield and in goal respectively, Diego Simeone and German Burgos worked together at Atleti for almost 10 years.
During that time, Simeone and his similarly fiery right-hand man were involved in two LaLiga title triumphs, a Copa del Rey win and two Europa League victories.
Arsene Wenger & Pat Rice
An integral member of Arsenal’s 1970/71 double-winning team, Pat Rice became the Gunners’ assistant manager under Arsene Wenger in 1996 – having previously been a youth coach at the club.
Lasting 16 years, the Rice-Wenger era saw the North London giants win three Premier League titles – going unbeaten in 2003/04 – and four FA Cups.
