Trophies are the cleanest way to measure the success of a football manager. Sure, not all trophies are created equal, but silverware is the ultimate aim for managers at the top of the sport.
Most Successful Football Managers:
| Sir Alex Ferguson | 48 trophies |
| Pep Guardiola | 39 trophies |
| Mircea Lucescu | 32 trophies |
| Valeriy Lobanovskyi | 29 trophies |
| Carlo Ancelotti | 28 trophies |
| Jock Stein | 26 trophies |
| Luiz Felipe Scolari | 26 trophies |
| Ottmar Hitzfeld | 25 trophies |
| Jose Mourinho | 25 trophies |
| Giovanni Trapattoni | 23 trophies |
The arrival of a great manager will improve a team’s football betting odds. Some will have an impact beyond their own club, changing the way the game is thought about or how clubs are run.
Here are the most successful managers of all-time, ranked by the total number of trophies won:
Giovanni Trapattoni Trophies
Giovanni Trapattoni has managed some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Inter, Milan, Juventus, and Bayern Munich.
Only four other countries – two of which feature in this article – have won league titles in four different European countries, and Trapattoni is one of three coaches to win all three of UEFA’s major club competitions.
Renowned for his quotable press conferences and his take on Catenaccio, Trapattoni is one of the modern managerial greats.
France Football voted him the 12th best manager of all-time in 2019 – many would have ranked him even higher.
Jose Mourinho Trophies
At one point, José Mourinho looked destined to finish near the very top of this list.
Mourinho has declined from his glorious days in west London, Porto, and Milan, leaving him tied for eighth after leaving Roma in 2024.
The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ is clearly one of the best managers in Premier League history. He won three Premier League titles with Chelsea across two spells before frustrating stints with Tottenham and Manchester United.
While he’s no longer the manager he once was, peak Mourinho was a tactical mastermind and genius motivator who brought success to every club he was employed by.
Ottmar Hitzfeld Trophies
Twice named World Coach of the Year, Ottmar Hitzfeld collected trophies relentlessly across his spells with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
He led both of the Bundesliga giants to Champions League titles, and saw his teams named German champions on seven occasions. Prior to that, he won a couple of league titles with Grasshopper.
Hitzeld finished off his managerial career with Switzerland, and reportedly turned down a big money offer from the Chinese Super League.
Luiz Felipe Scolari Trophies
His brief appearance in Premier League odds didn’t work out, yet Luiz Felipe Scolari has a trophy haul rivalled by few managers in football history.
Scolari has been a manager for over 40 years, winning silverware in Japan, China, Brazil, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait.
On the international stage, he led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup, and the 2013 Confederations Cup.
Named South American Coach of the year on two occasions, Scolari’s trophy tally is worth plaudits, even if he never cracked European football.
Jock Stein Trophies
Dominant with Celtic throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Jock Stein won 10 league titles, eight Scottish Cups and the European Cup.
He won almost 70% of his matches in charge of Celtic after spells with Dunfermline, Hibernian, and Scotland.
After a short stint with Leeds, Stein was again named Scotland manager. He led them through an impressive qualifying campaign, but tragically passed away before their final qualifying match against Wales.
Alex Ferguson – Stein’s assistant – took over for the match and led the Scots into the 1986 World Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti Trophies
He might not have an extensive coaching tree like some others on this list, but there is no question Carlo Ancelotti ranks among the greatest managers of all-time.
He’s the only manager to have won league titles in all of Europe’s top five leagues, and holds the record for the most Champions League wins as a manager - winning the competition once again in 2024.
Winner of a double at Chelsea, the Italian added more hardware across stops in Paris and Munich. Before returning to the Santiago Bernabeu, he managed both Everton and Napoli.
After winning La Décima in his first stint with Los Blancos, Ancelotti won two La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues in his second spell.
Valeriy Lobanovskyi Trophies
Valeriy Lobanovskyi is one of football’s greatest tactical innovators. Influential in the rise of Total Football, Lobanovskyi collected records at a remarkable rate in the Soviet Union.
The Ukrainian made Dynamo Kyiv into one of the best teams in the world – they reached the last eight of the European Cup or better on eight occasions.
The eight league titles in the Soviet Top League only tell part of Lobanovskyi’s story.
An excellent motivator – with colleagues describing him as a psychologist – Lobanovskyi combined football prediction knowhow with brilliant man management to craft an exceptional managerial career.
Mircea Lucescu Trophies
Successful in Romania, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia, Mircea Lucescu will be best remembered for his entertaining Shakhtar Donetsk sides.
Lucescu has also taken charge of Zenit, Galatasaray, Besiktas, and Dynamo Kyiv, and guided Brescia to the Serie B title in 1991-92.
While he was often linked with jobs in Western Europe, Lucescu never returned to Europe’s top five leagues after a disappointing spell with Inter in 1998-99.
Pep Guardiola Trophies
Pep Guardiola has been named IFFHS’ World’s Best Club Coach on three occasions. That’s arguably a bit harsh given the success he has brought to Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
Winner of trebles with Barcelona and Manchester City, Guardiola has broken records everywhere he’s gone.
City are the first team in the Premier League era to win four consecutive titles. He has won 11 league titles in 14 topflight seasons.
Sir Alex Ferguson Trophies
The individual awards are plentiful. The 13 league titles and two Champions Leagues speak for themselves.
Alex Ferguson’s achievements in management are unrivalled, such was his prolonged success with Manchester United after winning three league titles and a European trophy with Aberdeen.
You can take your pick with what to focus on when reflecting on Ferguson’s career. His commitment to trusting young players remains admirable, as was his ability to manage big egos (even if that meant moving them on).
The mind games with other managers were part of the entertainment, and the on-pitch product was often box office.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
