You already know most of the best managers in the world: they're the ones that have hands gripped around silver handles this time of year. But that doesn't tell the whole truth, does it?
Arsene Wenger once famously opined that, “You're loved when you're born, you're loved when you die – and in between you have to manage.” It's a job in which you're battered by the press, by fans and by defeat: many managers will win fewer games than they'll ever draw or lose, after all. But sometimes, the best managers are those who simply… get on by.
So here's our list of the best in the world right now, from the greats of Guardiola to the midtables and the Moyes. Who gets your vote?
The 50 best managers in the world: 50. Christian Streich
Into his 13th season in charge of Freiburg, Streich has, remarkably, only ever managed the German side – and this will be his last. Relegation in 2014/15 could've marked the end of his time in charge, but immediately winning 2.Bundesliga highlighted his quality to bounce straight back to the top tier.
Since then, Freiburg have been slowly progressing, finishing sixth and fifth in recent seasons. Reaching the final of the 2022 DFB-Pokal, which they lost on penalties to RB Leipzig, stands out on the 58-year-old’s CV, too.
49. Roberto Martinez
Initially something of a managerial trailblazer in 2000s English football, Martinez’s possession-based style of play revitalised Swansea City, before he moved to Wigan and hoisted up the FA Cup. After three years at Everton, he turned to the international game, tasked with guiding Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ to success.
A third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup and the top spot in the FIFA rankings were the high points of his six-year spell with the Red Devils, as his time ended with a group stage exit in the 2022 World Cup. The Spaniard is now preparing for his fourth major international tournament after landing the Portuguese national team job last year.
48. Stefano Pioli
Ralf Rangnick was lined up for the Milan post instead while Stefano Pioli held the fort. What Pioli achieved – in his unbeaten run that gave him the full-time job, followed by Champions League qualification and a Scudetto later on – is the best anyone has done at I Rossoneri for quite some time.
He leaves not at his peak but with Milan fans yearning for a change, after watching Inter lift the Scudetto against them. But Pioli will be back, for sure – and hopefully has another remarkable story like this in him.
47. Kieran McKenna
The 37-year-old is quite possibly the next big thing in English football. After seeing his playing career at Tottenham cut short by injury McKenna moved into coaching, initially with Spurs U18s before moving to Manchester United, working his way up through the youth set-up to the senior side.
Ipswich Town’s decision to take a chance on a 35-year-old McKenna in December 2021 was an inspired decision as he earned promotion from League One in his first full season at Portman Road before this year’s magnificent Championship season that has seen the Tractor Boys return to the Premier League, all done without big names and on a limited budget. Ipswich will be braced for interest from all quarters this summer.
46. Frank Schmidt
When Frank Schmidt took charge of Heidenheim in 2007, they had just become an independent club and were sat in the fourth tier of German football. Fast forward 17 years, and Heidenheim are competing in the Bundesliga for the first time in their history – and they're going to stay up comfortably. What a job.
Currently the longest serving manager in German football, Schmidt has overseen three league titles - the most recent of which came last season in 2.Bundesliga in dramatic fashion, with two stoppage time goals against Jahn Regensburg moving them from play-off bound third to the top of the table.
45. Sergio Conceicao
Sergio Conceicao took the Porto job in 2017 following £100 milion of sales to satisfy Financial Fair Play. Conceicao grabbed the nettle – and beat Benfica to the title.
A reliability in Portuguese football, the Dragons have won three titles, every two years, under their current manager – all while playing a front-footed style of play amid plenty more sales, since Portuguese football is built on quicksand. They're due another title this season, according to schedule.
44. Mauricio Pochettino
A managerial A-lister, Pochettino went back to school after his career as an Argentina international came to an end, before kicking off his coaching career at Espanyol. Tottenham came calling after an eye-catching spell at Southampton and over a five-year period he would lead Spurs to a second-place finish and a Champions League final appearance.
He finally got his hands on silverware during his 18-month stint at Paris Saint-Germain and now finds himself with the near-impossible job of trying to make order out of the chaos at Chelsea. While the Blues are heading for a modestly improved campaign under Poch this time out, speculation over the owners’ itchy trigger finger remains.
43. Gareth Southgate
The cliches are bedded in. Gareth Southgate is pragmatic, cautious and sometimes misses the obvious but just because he sometimes drops the ball, we often forget how good he is.
And that's being the most successful England manager in over half a century – and plenty of tried, plenty with talented players, too. Tactically, Southgate may lack but his man management is exemplary and his in-game nous has taken England to a semi-final and final in the last two tournaments. In Qatar, dare we say it, England were… free-flowing. Maybe he is evolving?
42. Peter Bosz
Peter Bosz has been all over Europe now, to mixed acclaim, managing Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and most recently Lyon. While he has a habit of picking difficult gigs (for one reason or another), he's found a stable base at PSV and got them ticking.
Set for a title against Arne Slot's Feyenoord isn't to be sniffed at either – even if it is in the absence of Bosz's former employers Ajax, who've spent some of the season languishing in the relegation zone. What an odd year it's been in the Netherlands.
41. Luciano Spalletti
The 65-year-old will be hoping he has given the Italy side their mojo back as his first international post sees him lead the Azzurri at Euro 2024, after they failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup under Roberto Mancini.
This is the 12th stop of the veteran coach’s managerial career which has seen him take charge of some of Italy’s biggest clubs. A tactician and a motivator, Spalletti took over the Italy national team with his stock at an all-time high following his superb Serie A title win with Napoli in 2022/23.
40. Tite
What Tite hasn't seen in football is not worth seeing. The Flamengo manager turns 63 this month, back in club football after ushering in a generation of Selecao stars and reaching a Copa America final with the national side. He's still a shrewd man manager capable of finding harmony with samba stars and his stint as Brazil boss shows that.
60 wins, six losses; 174 scored, 30 conceded in 81 games, with a win-rate of almost three in four. They choked when it mattered but Tite can hold his head high.
39. Ernesto Valverde
Unlike some of the bigger personalities on this list, Ernesto Valverde is not the type to put himself front and centre of the media spotliight.
Best known for his two-and-a-half-year spell at Barcelona that brought about two La Liga titles, the 60-year-old is currently in his third spell as Athletic Club boss, with the Basque side set for a top-five finish under the pragmatic and organised manager.
38. David Moyes
With well over 1,000 games as a manager across five clubs over the past 26 years, David Moyes is a piece of the furniture when it comes to English football.
While his stint as Fergie's chosen successor Manchester United in 2013 did not go to plan, he has consistently shown resilience, longevity and a knack of maximising resources wherever he has been.
A long-overdue first major came last year when he led West Ham to the Europa Conference League, but his time in east London looks to be coming to an end as his contract ticks down with the Hammers fan base demanding a more positive style of play.
37. Marco Silva
The Portuguese has quietly done a very effective job at Fulham since he joined them following their 2021 relegation from the Premier League, as the Cottagers eased to the Championship title before racking up a top-ten finish back in the big time.
Tactically smart and well-organised, Silva’s attacking style of football has seen his reputation recover from a bruising 18-month spell at Everton that saw him depart with the Toffees in the relegation zone in December 2019. This consistency and clear identity has seen the 46-year-old go from a young manager with flashes of potential during his spells at Hull City and Watford into one of the Premier League’s most underrated bosses.
36. Erik ten Hag
A tricky second season has since developed but the Dutchman’s forward-thinking expansive style saw Manchester United turned into one of the most exciting counter-attacking sides in Europe.
Ten Hag will rise again, though – despite a sacking looking likely thsi summer. Having idolised the great Netherlands boss Kees Rijvers, his managerial journey began in 2012 with Go Ahead Eagles, stock continuing to rise in the Netherlands, with a wonderful spell at Ajax seeing him claim three top-flight titles. Three cup finals in two years isn't to be sniffed at, either: plenty of Sir Alex's successors would've liked such.
35. Massimiliano Allegri
A three-at-the-back master and serial winner in Italy, Massimiliano Allegri is a name that will long be remembered for his influence on the modern game. Starting his journey with Aglianese in the fourth tier of Italian football back in 2003, with spells at SPAL and Sassuolo then followed before Allegri received his big break with AC Milan some seven years later.
Five Serie A crowns and two Champions League finals have since followed in two spells at Juventus. It's been tough of late but Allegri still deserves respect for what he's achieved – especially with the off-field backdrop.
34. Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is the third-longest-serving Premier League manager behind Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola – and in many ways, he's proven himself as more versatile than either.
Adapting his side to become more physical in the Premier League, he has oscillated between his favoured 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 to batter teams at either end of the table. Brentford have become an established name in the top flight who don't even feel in danger of the drop – and they owe so much of that to the Dane.
33. Roger Schmidt
Roger Schmidt was the second German to manage Benfica after the legendary Jupp Heynckes. He became the first to win the title, however – doing so in some style.
The Lisbon outfit won their first 13 matches across the Primeira Liga and Champions League in their best start to a season in almost 40 years; they ended a nine-match hoodoo against Porto and they topped a Champions League group with PSG and Juventus before getting to the quarter-finals.
All while having lost Darwin Nunez over the summer and Enzo Fernandez midseason: this season hasn't been as rosy but Schmidt is still highly-rated for his work in Portugal.
32. Adi Hutter
Adi Hutter first came to attention for some in a way that will adhere them to many German hearts: battering Bayern Munich in their biggest defeat since 1978 with Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Gladbach gig, while steady, was temporary – and now, he’s proving himself a capable pair of hands at Monaco, overseeing Paul Mitchell’s crop of scintillating signings in the principality. It’s high time someone took them back to the top.
31. Eric Roy
Taking his name from two United legends of the 90s (no, not really), Eric Roy has led one of Europe's lesser-talked about stories this season.
Stade Brestois are set to qualify for the Champions League above so many of France's aristocracy – and like Lens last season, the former Marseille star has commanded a well-organised group who most European football fans could walk past in the street without recognising. He deserves his place on this list this year.
30. Ivan Juric
Previously appointed as Genoa manager on three separate occasions, Juric enjoyed two successful seasons at Hellas Verona, finishing ninth and tenth despite operating with one of the league’s smallest budgets, before being poached by Torino. There, the Croatian has continued his perennial mid-table league finish, coming tenth in the past two campaigns.
His death metal style of football is where he truly stands out, relentlessly encouraging his players to aggressively man-mark opponents with such ferocity that it seems the only defensive word in their vocabulary is ‘press’.
29. Edin Terzic
Borussia Dortmund so nearly managed to break the Bayern Munich stranglehold on the Bundesliga last term, and Terzic had a huge role to play in their resurgence. While they fell at the last hurdle, the German boss had Dortmund playing some excellent football with a vibrant team.
Losing Jude Bellingham in the summer would have hurt any team – and so it's proven. It's been really tough with Dortmund struggling to compete as their recruitment has been outwitted by the likes of Leverkusen, though a Champions League semi-final is another big achievement for Terzic as a young manager.
The flux is real, too: six men have tried to replace Jurgen Klopp, none of them staying particularly long. Terzic has managed longer than all of them (across two spells).
28. Gary O'Neil
One of the most exciting young coaches in the Premier League, Gary O’Neil’s transition from a tough-tackling midfielder to his expansive tactical approach as a coach has been a pleasure for most to watch.
The former Middlesbrough man guided Bournemouth to Premier League safety back in 2022/23 as they recorded a respectable 15th-placed finish in the table that season. Opting to go their separate ways, O’Neil then joined Wolves and the Wanderers have developed into one of the surprise packages of the season, with the 40-year-old’s style revolving largely around versatility and adaptability.
27. Marco Rose
The Borussia Dortmund gig didn’t quite go to plan but Marco Rose is still an exceptionally talented coach, now at RB Leipzig. Like all good Red Bull coaches, he favours a high-intensity style that wins admirers – he led Leipzig to a DFB-Pokal last term – but his work with individual players is excellent, too.
Even though BVB struggled at times under Rose, several players improved under his tutelage: just as at Borussia Monchengladbach and Red Bull Salzburg.
26. Xavi Hernandez
Not every great former play can turn into a great manager, but Xavi Hernandez quickly dismissed that pattern with his ideology at Barcelona back in 2021, after a strong spell with Al Sadd over in Saudi Arabia.
A league and cup double followed in 2022/23 at the Nou Camp and the former World Cup winner has been hailed for his possession-based style that the likes of Catalan greats Johann Cryuff and Pep Guardiola would be especially proud of.
In three years at Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez has turned a crisis club into champions, re-instilled the style of football that the club aspires to and overseen the integration of a new generation primed to lead this club out of the dark. It's not all been peachy but as a young manager, he has the aura of authority and the tactical understanding that we all expected he’d have when we watched him slicing open defences with pinpoint precision.
25. Gian Piero Gasperini
We've called them all sorts: Chris Wilder's Sheffield United with a Master’s degree, a mad scientist's Frankensteinian beast and the strangest side in Europe. They attack in clusters, with numerical superiority and shift play horizontally like a pinball buffer. Atalanta have ingrained positional interchange, with players moving into each other’s roles depending on the scenario. It’s getting easier to defend against but it's still marvellous when it comes off.
But if ever there’s a manager who doesn’t get the credit they deserve, it’s Atalanta boss Gasperini. Prior to his arrival in 2016, the Bergamo side seemed destined for relegation to Serie B.
Now look. Atalanta have been consistently challenging for European spots under the Italian, even achieving qualification for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history in 2019. They’ve played in the competition a further two times under Gasperini’s stewardship, such has been his influence on the side. They could be Europa League winners this season, too. Who knows?
24. Andoni Iraola
For some Bournemouth fans to think that Andoni Iraola has given them the best football they've seen is some compliment – given how good they were when they were promoted to the Premier League the first time around.
The Basque's hybrid press and intrinsic feel for deploying players across his 4-2-3-1 has helped the Cherries to a record points tally. It's not just how frenetic they can be, how brilliant in attack: it's that Iraola has turned attacking midfielders into destroyers, wingers into full-backs and perfectly utilised Justin Kluivert as an overloader for any situation. It's been marvellous – and it may yet be just beginning.
23. Thiago Motta
Beginning his journey into management back in 2018 with PSG’s academy sides, Thiago Motta is continuing to make waves as one of the most exciting young coaches across Europe.
His Bologna side looks destined to qualify for the Champions League this season and his infamous 2-7-2 build-up in possession has shocked Italian football, given the complete domination on the ball that helps to punish teams in forward areas. Now being linked with some huge jobs across Europe, it remains within the realms of possibility that Motta could soon take his crazy tactics elsewhere away from Italy.
22. Vincenzo Italiano
Italian football prides itself on coaching acumen perhaps more than any other, so a man named “Italiano” was always going to be a ‘final boss’ of Serie A’s tactical nous, right?
Fiorentina have been meticulously built in the image of their coach to be well-structured in buildup but ambitious in attack: this is a manager, after all, who continues to push higher and higher with each season, guiding Spezia to promotion, keeping them in the top flight and then improving i Viola. He's reached one Conference League final – he may reach another.
21. Imanol Alguacil
Imanol Alguacil took Real Sociedad to the Champions League with an exciting brand of play which bucks plenty of the trends of modern football, using players in close proximity to one another to build overloads rather than exploiting space. As a result, La Real have taken the game to plenty – he even re-energised 37-year-old David Silva in the final season of his career.
Having gotten a tune out of Take Kubo when some failed, using Mikel Oyarzabal as a complete forward and building a side on a Mikel Merino/Martin Zubimendi midfield that could rival any in football on its day, Alguacil has turned the Basque outfit into a vibrant attacking unit that attack with directness, despite holding a lot of possession. This season has been tougher – but Alguacil has more than proven his acumen in a field of top Basque coaches.
20. Arne Slot
A Europa Conference League final in his first season was followed by a league title in his second for Arne Slot. Under the Dutchman, the likes of Luis Sinisterra, Tyrell Malacia, Marcos Senesi, Orkun Kokcu, Reiss Nelson and Santiago Gimenez have flourished at Feyenoord, meanwhile – and it’s easy to see why.
The seemingly imminent Liverpool manager favours a back four, inverting full-backs and peppering the goal with wave after wave of pressure: remind you of anyone? It’s typical Eredivisie to play high-octane and direct, yet Slot is calm and composed from the touchline and already looks cut from the cloth of great Dutch coaches of the past. At 45, his career is just beginning.
19. Michel
While many look towards Barcelona for exciting, attacking football in Catalonia, Girona have impressed many in La Liga through the slick tactics employed by Michel. Overloading with a box-midfield is common in his asymmetrical system, while five attackers pushing defences back is regularly visible, too.
Having earned promotion from Spain’s second tier in his first season at Girona, Michel then led them to 10th last term – and they have been one of the surprise packages of the 2023/24 season, challenging at the top of La Liga against the likes of Real Madrid and Barça. Links to replace Pep Guardiola are seemingly well-justified.
18. Didier Deschamps
A highly successful centre midfielder in his heyday, Didier Deschamps has developed into one of the best French coaches to ever grace the game.
Beginning with Monaco during the early 2000s, Les Rouges et Blancs almost made it a European adventure for the record books after just being pipped by Jose Mourinho’s Porto back in 2004: successful spells with Marseille and Juventus soon followed before his big break with France came in 2012 where he has remained ever since.
World Cup winners in 2018 and finalists again in 2022, the French have talent oozing from their squad with Deschamps tasked with more silverware at this summer's European Championships in Germany. Can he deliver once more?
17. Ange Postecoglou
Spurs were scrambling for a manager in the summer when they finally landed on Big Ange - but what an appointment it proved to be when he was running on steam. Initially doubted – not for the first time, following his previous start at Celtic and spells at sides in Australia – Postecoglou won his critics over with a high-octane, exciting, possession style football.
Don’t get it twisted, either, the Aussie had an extremely difficult test on his hands walking into Spurs over the summer. Antonio Conte had upset just about every single person at the club and the ownership and chairman were coming under serious pressure from the fans. Oh, and club record goalscorer and talisman Harry Kane had just departed for Bayern Munich.
OK, so they look like they've run out of gas. Tottenham are now destined for fifth and the fans are questioning if there's a Plan B to this “100 miles-per-hour, mate” style. It's when Big Ange is doubted that he often comes up trumps: can he surprise everyone again next term?
16. Ruben Amorim
Whenever a Premier League job becomes available, Amorim is invariably linked - and it’s easy to see why.
At 39, the Portuguese has been hugely impressive ever since winning Portugal’s league cup final with Braga in 2020 against Porto, just three weeks into his first senior managerial reign. Sporting quickly came calling, and Amorim hasn’t looked back. A possession-based manager, a league title followed in 2021, and they look set to win it all over again.
It won't be long before he comes to the big leagues. Liverpool were interested, West Ham, too, and it seems as if his future lies away from Lisbon. And perhaps then, everyone else will see what all the fuss about.
15. Sebastian Hoeness
In a league where surprises are fairly routine and underdogs are expected (check out the fallen giants further down the pyramid), Stuttgart are one of the more pleasant shocks of the Bundesliga this season, pushing up the table to keep pace with the big boys.
Sebastian Hoeness – nephew of Bayern Munich legend Uli – has taken a fairly un-noteworthy group of players into the top four in Germany, spearheaded by super Serhou Guirassy, who can't stop scoring. It's been a fantastic story – and one that's been overlooked in a season in which the ultimate underdogs clinched the title. Still, Stuttgart back in the Champions League is a phenomenal achievement, given where the club has been in recent seasons.
14. Thomas Tuchel
The Bayern Munich job has been tough for Thomas Tuchel – almost losing the title on the final day of last season before blowing it to 'Neverkusen' this time around – but the German still dines from the very top table when it comes to the club game.
Over the years, Tuchel has shown all sides of his psyche; a rebel taking on the establishment at Borussia Dortmund, crossing that threshold at Paris Saint-Germain and attempting to keep peace in a warring dressing room. An exciting attack-minded tactician who later turned Chelsea into a watertight cruiseliner, his career is becoming one of reinvention.
Now, we await what he has in store next. The Thin White Duke of Bavaria can never be second-guessed: he’s ruthless, razor-sharp and with a night at Wembley still in his sights before he departs Die Roten, it wouldn’t be wise to write him off at the Allianz just yet.
13. Abel Ferreira
Abel Ferreira says that he learned a lot from Football Manager. Well, back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles is stuff of video games.
Ferreira's side might only operate with a mid-block and grind out victories when they need but as a character, Ferreira is box-office. He's dedicated wins to his "annoying neighbour", he has the energy of a Duracell bunny on the sidelines and he's transformed the menality of his Palmeiras side into serial winners – so comparisons with Jose Mourinho are apt, to say the least… only he's rooted in empathy and academy football.
“The greatest evolution of Palmeiras after Abel’s arrival [was] a feeling of appreciation and a sense of belonging among all the club’s workers, from the cook to the youth squads, to the professional team and the board,” Mateus Augustine, an analyst in Brazil. He's precisely the feel-good factor of Brazilian football and already a legend in South America for his achievements.
12. Roberto De Zerbi
Arriving at Brighton in September 2022, many were questioning the Italian’s appointment. A largely unknown quantity, the 44-year-old seemed a choice completely out of left-field. Inevitably, the Seagulls were right once again.
Under De Zerbi, Brighton qualified for European football for the first time in their history, as they finished sixth in the Premier League in 2022/23. But it’s not just the results that makes De Zerbi so impressive, it’s his tactical courage that sets him apart from the rest. Brighton have been encouraged to deliberately invite pressure, drawing in the opposition before exploiting the space left behind. But don’t just take our word for it - Pep Guardiola has been hugely impressed.
“There is no team playing the way they play - it’s unique,” Guardiola said. “I had the feeling when he arrived the impact he would have in the Premier League would be great - but I didn’t expect him to do it in this short space of time.
“He creates 20 or 25 chances per game, better by far than most opponents. He monopolises the ball in a way it hasn’t been for a long time. They deserve completely the success they have.”
11. Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe took Bournemouth from 92nd in the pyramid to ninth within a decade. That needs repeating as often as possible – and it's why despite an injury-ravaged season, he'll always be highly regarded.
The former defender was always the best man-manager in the room, taking a clutch of League One stars and building a Premier League side around them on the south coast, before adding more youth products that Bournemouth were able to sell to save themselves after the eventual relegation. Now, Howe's improved tactically.
Agreeing to become the boss at a Newcastle United side destined for relegation in 2021 seemed a strange choice - two years on, though, it’s proved anything but. The Magpies reached their first cup final in over 20 years when they faced Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last February, before qualifying for the Champions League with an exceptional fourth-placed finish.
But that’s almost a disservice to Howe. Players such as Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Sean Longstaff – heck, even Jacob Murphy – have all flourished under Howe’s guidance, and are all players who were at the club prior to his arrival. Changes to the squad’s mentality has resulted in a winning mindset, while their front-foot approach often blows teams away.
10. Julian Nagelsmann
Dominant in possession and tactically flexible, Nagelsmann’s side did what Tuchel's couldn't and cruised to a Bundesliga title. He's a household name in management in his early 30s – but is he harshly spoken of?
The former Hoffenheim boss has had his critics in Germany but at Bayern Munich, he was mostly just guilty of being his own man – idiosyncratic enough not to immediately bow to the Bavarian way of playing ball. He's still elite tactically, bending his side into back threes, back fours, sometimes with no full-backs and playing some of the most stunning football in the game… and it's since been proven that he wasn't all that bad at the Allianz.
Bayern wanted him back, for a start. It's going to be fascinating seeing him take Germany to a home Euros: he's easily the most exciting coach at the tournament.
9. Diego Simeone
He entered your consciousness when he trapped David Beckham in a web of his own making. He’s played the supervillain ever since. The only man capable of taking down Real Madrid and Barcelona yet without the resources of either… and he's still top 10.
Every season it feels like this might be the one that Diego Simeone runs out of petrol. In the past three years, he’s lost Antoine Griezmann, Diego Godin, Rodri, Juanfran, Lucas Hernandez, Alvaro Morata, Thomas Partey – last-minute, without hope of getting a replacement – and yet Atletico Madrid still had La Liga in 2020/21 on lock from November onwards. Griezmann and Morata have returned – and though Atleti don't strike the fear of god into rivals anymore, they play the numbers game.
Simeone is indestructible, for sure. His 4-4-2 has morphed into a three-at-the-back iteration, as Marcos Llorente and Luis Suarez became the leaders at the heart of Atleti’s last software update. El Cholo crunches the numbers; he knows how many goals to keep out and how many to score to stay ahead of the game – and his team still seem to be punching above their weight. What next? We're not sure. We're pretty sure Simeone will survive the apocalypse, mind.
8. Luis Enrique
He's always seemed friendly enough but Luis Enrique killed the dreams of former employers Barcelona with Ousmane Dembele, like a true pantomime villain. And for his time as Spanish national boss, he showed all the hallmarks of a top club coach: doing very well in league-formatted group stages, implementing perhaps the most cohesive style of play in international football but ultimately being done over by bad luck, Giorgio Chiellini’s mind games and rotten penalty luck.
PSG is an impossible job – but Luis Enrique’s approach has thus far been intriguing, leaning on teenager Warren Zaire-Emery, implementing a one-fit 4-3-3 and trying to ‘Barca-ise’ this side from a mess of Galacticos into a group defined by their culture. It’s a long slog – but has anyone in recent years been this good at PSG other than Tuchel?
If they go one better than that 2020 side, then… no, perhaps not. Luis Enrique has been a superb fit – and we wait with yet more intrigue as to how he recalibrates this group following Kylian Mbappe's departure in the summer.
7. Simone Inzaghi
Deemed a little too cautious by some naysayers, Inzaghi’s approach to Inter Milan was originally criticised. But given how turbulent the Nerazzurri have been over the last couple years, the Italian has added a stability that few could have imagined.
The rebuild following Conte's (admittedly successful) chaos-ball has been nothing short of spectacular. Inter have been reworked into something that only resembles the old team in formation alone: this is a side that lost stars like Hakimi and Onana only to become stronger for it. Inzaghi's reached a Champions League final, lifted a Scudetto and won widespread acclaim as the next great Italian boss of his generation.
Bigger things beckon – but for now, this is a man who may yet help restore Serie A to its heyday. Inter are slowly growing – a dynasty isn't out of the question – and those who questioned him seem to have piped down.
6. Mikel Arteta
Pep Guardiola didn’t know it, but he was slowly creating a monster. The story is well-known by now: won a trophy early on, dismantled an Arsenal side he played in and then rebuilt it in his image.
When Pep Guardiola smacked him twice en route to a Treble, it looked like there was a ceiling for what Arteta could achieve in the same division as his mentor. Fast-forward 12 months and he's arguably outwitted Guardiola three times this season, taken his young side even closer to the title and built the most tactically, technically impressive team in Europe. Every time they're doubted, they rise higher.
Only Klopp, Mourinho and Conte have really gone toe-to-toe in title races with Pep. Replace Conte with Sir Alex Ferguson in that group as managers who reached 100 wins in the Premier League quicker. This is the company that Arteta keeps these days. Despite what everyone has says, he's more an equal of the elites than he is an apprentice.
5. Unai Emery
When Unai Emery first left England after the Arsenal debacle, it was hard to ever see a way back to the top table for him. Yet he's turned his lowest nadir into the very steel of what he builds his sides around.
In years to come, it may be a toss-up between Villarreal and Aston Villa for his crowning achievement, both midtable sides elevated by his faith in turning forgotten men of bigger sides, workhorses and stardust overlooked by the elite, into a unit stronger than just one big name.
Emery's Yellow Submarine were everything we expected from Arsenal: drilled in two blocks of four, with two superb outlets up top and trickery from the wings. And all from a group of underdogs, too: and now Villa are precisely the same, with Emery bucking the allegations that he can't manage a league campaign alongside European football. It's been a wonderful couple of years for the Basque, with masterclasses along the way – and Villa fans haven’t felt this positive for a generation.
4. Carlo Ancelotti
Such is his lack of ego, Carlo Ancelotti seemingly waltzes into clubs with the best players in the world assembled and asks them how they want to play. The eternal Italian is a by-word for man-management, reshaping his principles depending on the mood in the room – and at 64, he’s showing no signs of losing his touch.
Don Carlo is all about the team: he will do what needs to be done to get the best from the collective and ensures the group are content. But his knack for improving individuals is, by now, legendary. Pirlo, Kaka, Lampard, Bale, James, Vinicius, Benzema and now Bellingham, have all ascended to superstar status under the gaze of his perma-raised eyebrow.
He will go down as one of the greatest of all time – and perhaps the most beloved manager by dressing room vote.
3. Xabi Alonso
Playing for Guardiola, Ancelotti, Mourinho, Benitez and Del Bosque in your career provides you with a solid education to take into the dugout. Xabi Alonso was perhaps the most obvious management candidate from that Spanish golden generation – and boy has he proved it in a short space of time.
Alonso's Leverkusen is one of the most impressive full debut seasons ever seen. He's turned history on its head to deliver a first-ever title – unbeaten, too – at the expense of serial champions, relying on free transfers, overlooked stars and the genius of Florian Wirtz. His 3-4-3 has ripped everyone limb from limb: not even injuries and rotation have stopped them, either.
Tactically, they're top-drawer – and he's instilled a winning mentality to the point where we're into May, and they're yet to lose in any competition. Alonso deserves to called what he is: one of the best in the world at what he does. He may eclipse several of those old masters he played under, if he continues in this vein.
2. Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp leaves Liverpool with “just” a Premier League to show for his time on Merseyside. There will be those who tear apart his legacy and re-evaluate him. It's inevitable that history will not love him as warmly as he was in the moments where the Kop roared.
But the consistent challenge against Manchester City has largely been down to Klopp and no one else: the ability to motivate his squad, in recent times, finding innovative ways to get the best out of Mohamed Salah while developing the talents of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai. Formulating a system to allow Trent Alexander-Arnold more time on the ball has proved a masterstroke, too, while ensuring each member of the squad stays happy and hungry is arguably his greatest asset.
If Guardiola is an alien like Lionel Messi, Klopp is his Cristiano Ronaldo: obviously the second-best, but also, obviously human. That he lived with the Catalan so long is an achievement in itself – and he deserves to be known as an all-time great.
1. Pep Guardiola
Who else?
When Pep Guardiola first arrived on the scene, he was doubted by some; an underdog picked ahead of Jose Mourinho for the biggest job in Catalonia, armed not with experience but philosophy. One of his first big decisions at Camp Nou was to go to war with a board who didn't want a young Lionel Messi to go to the Olympic Games. Pep argued for the good it did him at Barcelona '92 – and sent the Flea to Beijing against his bosses' wishes.
Almost two decades later, no one questions a word he says: football's heartbeat is in time with Josep Guardiola's. The world plays this game in the Catalan's image, aiming to replicate the Juego de Pocision he brought to modern football and subsequently reinvented time and again. But it’s not just the trophies he’s won, the dominance or the thrilling style of play that still makes him the best: it’s that he continues to rework his sides, take principles of old and make them new and unbeatable.
It's in the recruitment, which has rarely misstepped, as Manchester City churn out superstar after superstar. It's in the big-game galaxy brain moments in which he seems able to out-think his opponent. He is always one, two, three steps ahead. He sees football differently to anyone: the Sherlock Holmes of the dugout, spotting devils in details.
He never ages, he never waivers – and he's always right. Messi won gold in 2008, of course. Football, quite simply, belongs to him.
