In football, the most important measure of success is through trophies. The players can dazzle, and the tactics can fascinate, but for the managers, it’s the silverware that surely cements the legacy.
Very few managers go past their contemporaries with a triumph in different leagues, countries, and eras. Some of these elite managers have left footprints in the most competitive leagues in Europe, while others have brought success away from the spotlight in not-so-prominent leagues.
Today, we look at some of the managers with the most trophies in football history.
1. Sir Alex Ferguson – 49 Trophies
- St. Mirren: Scottish First Division
- Aberdeen: Scottish Premier Division x3, Scottish Cup x4, Scottish League Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup
- Manchester United: Premier League x13, FA Cup x5, Football League Cup x4, UEFA Champions League x2, European Super Cup,
- Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup
When talking about the greatest managers ever, Sir Alex Ferguson is undoubtedly the crème de la crème of them. With 49 trophies spread across the many years that he has managed teams, the success rate of Ferguson is quite jaw-dropping.
He started his career relatively small with St. Mirren, winning the Scottish First Division in 1977-then the second tier to launch his career.
The transformation for Ferguson came when he joined Aberdeen in 1978. During his tenure, Aberdeen broke the Old Firm’s stranglehold on Scottish football by winning three league titles, four Scottish Cups, and a Scottish League Cup.
But the crowning glory came two years later in 1983 when Aberdeen lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup against Real Madrid, sealing Ferguson’s reputation on the European stage.
He transferred to Manchester United in 1986, and while the first few years were difficult, eventually Ferguson transformed United into one of the most successful clubs in the world.
Between 1990 and his retirement in 2013, he won 38 trophies with United: 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two Champions League titles being part of the haul.
Rebuilding teams, integrating youth, and adapting to the times made him a legend. From the iconic Class of ’92 to winning the 1999 treble, Ferguson’s impact on football will most likely never be matched.
2. Pep Guardiola – 39 Trophies
- Barcelona:La Liga x3, Copa del Rey x2, UEFA Champions League x2, FIFA Club World Cup x2
- Bayern Munich: Bundesliga x3, DFB Pokal x2, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup
- Manchester City: Premier League x6, FA Cup x2, EFL Cup x4, UEFA Super Cup
Still only 53, Pep Guardiola is the modern icon of trophy-winning managers. Famed for his revolutionary strategies tiki-taka at Barcelona to positional play at Manchester City-Guardiola’s style has redefined modern football.
Having started his managerial career at Barcelona, he won the treble in his very first season-2008-09-including La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League titles.
In 2009, he had accomplished an unprecedented sextuple, winning all titles that one could win, making Barcelona the first club ever to do so.
After a successful spell with Bayern Munich, having bossed the Bundesliga with three titles and two DFB-Pokals, Pep took up the challenge at Manchester City.
Since he came to City, he has won six Premier League titles, a good number of domestic cups, and finally his third Champions League crown in 2023. Such tactical finesse, allied with his relentless pursuit of perfection, has Guardiola on the path to challenging Ferguson’s record.
3. Mircea Lucescu – 38 Trophies
- Dinamo București: Romanian League, Romanian Cup x2
- Shakhtar Donetsk: Ukrainian Premier League x8, Ukrainian Cup x6, UEFA Cup
- Zenit Saint Petersburg: Russian Super Cup
- Dynamo Kyiv: Ukrainian League, Ukrainian Cup, Ukrainian Super Cup
Romanian manager Mircea Lucescu is one of those journeyman coaches with trophies across four countries: Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, and Italy.
Having started his managerial career in Dinamo București, he won the Romanian League along with two Romanian Cups. Moving on to Italian clubs Pisa and Brescia, he introduced innovative training programs such as FARM-an early system for monitoring player data.
His most fruitful spell came with Shakhtar Donetsk, where he turned the club into a Ukrainian powerhouse.
Lucescu’s Shakhtar team won eight league titles, six Ukrainian Cups, and seven Ukrainian Super Cups complemented by the 2009 UEFA Cup. Despite such success, he had flown below the radar for many fans in the West, since he had spent much of his career outside of Europe’s major leagues.
He retired in 2023, leaving behind a legacy of being one of the most successful managers in the world.
4. Valeriy Lobanovskyi – 30 Trophies
- Dynamo Kyiv: Soviet Top League x8, Soviet Cup x6, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup x2, Ukrainian National League x5, Ukrainian Cup x3
A pioneering figure behind the Iron Curtain, the late Valeriy Lobanovskyi won an astonishing 30 trophies with Dynamo Kyiv.
His trailblazing work during the 1970s and 1980s included working alongside the Kyiv State Institute of Physical Education to devise cardio and tactical plans-making him a precursor to analytics coaching.
He adopted a press-heavy system, similar in principle to total football, although more physical in its application.
The achievements as a Soviet manager were monumental. He led Dynamo Kyiv to eight Soviet Top League titles, six Soviet Cups, and two UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he went on to lead Dynamo Kyiv to further success with five back-to-back Ukrainian League titles. Lobanovskyi’s contribution to football can still be felt in this modern day, mostly in Eastern Europe, where his philosophies have influenced generations upon generations of coaches.
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5. Carlo Ancelotti – 30 Trophies
- AC Milan: Serie A, Coppa Italia, UEFA Champions League x2, FIFA Club World Cup
- Chelsea: Premier League, FA Cup
- Real Madrid: UEFA Champions League x3, La Liga x2, Copa del Rey x2
- Bayern Munich: Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup x2
With titles across all five major European leagues, Ancelotti’s CV simply speaks for itself.
Known for his nature of calmness, Ancelotti has managed top clubs like AC Milan, Real Madrid, and Chelsea, succeeding nearly everywhere he has gone. His first major success as a manager came with AC Milan, where he won two Champions League titles.
After Milan, Ancelotti continued his winning ways in England, France, and Germany.
He won with Chelsea the league and FA Cup double in 2010, and later with Real Madrid, the long-anticipated “La Decima” Champions League title, before going to win two more Champions League titles to become historically the manager to have won the most Champions League titles.
He was still this force at an age over sixty, really proving his longevity and adaptability as a manager.
6. José Mourinho – 26 Trophies
- Porto: Primeira Liga x2, UEFA Champions League
- Chelsea: Premier League x3, FA Cup, League Cup x3
- Inter Milan: Serie A x2, Coppa Italia, UEFA Champions League
- Real Madrid: La Liga, Copa del Rey
With his arrogant persona, combined with his defensive-minded tactics, Mourinho went on to achieve much success with FC Porto. He won two Primeira Liga titles and famously led Porto to the 2004 Champions League title.
After having much success at Porto, he moved on to Chelsea and won the Premier League twice, while setting the record for most points in a season and the fewest goals conceded.
With Inter Milan, Mourinho’s career went to a whole new level when he won the treble in 2010: Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia all in one season.
Later, as Real Madrid boss, he ended Barcelona’s monopoly in La Liga with an unprecedented 100 points in one season. His spells at Manchester United were mixed, but there was the Europa League and the League Cup he has won.
Though his career may have slowed in recent years, Mourinho’s legacy as one of the best managers of his era is well intact.
Honorable Mentions
- Luiz Felipe Scolari – 26 Trophies
His coaching journey took him from Kuwait to Uzbekistan and China, winning titles with Al-Qadisiya, Palmeiras, Bunyodkor, and Guangzhou Evergrande.
- Ottmar Hitzfeld – 25 Trophies
This German legend won trophies with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, including two Champions League titles. Known for his tactical flexibility, the success of Hitzfeld across several leagues and decades has made him one of the greatest to manage Germany.
- Jock Stein – 25 Trophies
With Celtic, Stein had won the European Cup in 1967, the first British team to achieve this feat. No one has matched Stein’s success in Scottish football, wherein he led Celtic to nine successive league championships.
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