Most Successful Managers in Champions League History

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At the elite level of club football in Europe, a select group of tacticians has risen above the rest to etch their names into Champions League folklore.

Few titles in world football match the prestige of the Champions League and only a few managers have reached its pinnacle. Even fewer have enjoyed sustained success in the competition.

From the sharpest tactical innovators to the master motivators, these Champions League successful managers have shaped the competition’s rich history through their achievements.

Below, we explore the UEFA Champions League’s most decorated figures, their enduring legacies and what set them apart.

Carlo Ancelotti – The Record-Holding Maestro

Carlo Ancelotti sits at the summit of the Champions League’s most successful coaches. No manager has lifted the trophy more times than the Italian, who has had his hands on the trophy, five times in total as a coach.

Ancelotti managed to win the Champions League twice with AC Milan (2003, 2007) and another four times with all-conquering Real Madrid (2014, 2022, 2024). In addition, he’s the only coach to have contested six finals.

Moreover, Ancelotti has also become the Champions League’s most experienced manager in the competition’s modern era.

The Italian tactician was the first manager to take charge of 200 Champions League matches, while he also leads the way for total wins in the tournament with over 120 victories, earned during his stints with Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich and Napoli.

The man with the arcing eyebrow has also accumulated more Champions League points (407) than any other coach in history.

Ancelotti, who won the old version of the competition, the European Cup, twice as a player, has jetted off to manage the Brazilian national team, so we might not see him in the Champions League again, however, he will always be a legendary figure in European football.

The Three-Time Trio: Guardiola, Zidane & Paisley

Pep Guardiola

A visionary tactician whose take on Tika-Taka had a wide-reaching influence on the game itself, Guardiola has won the Champions League three times, twice with Barcelona (2009, 2011) and once with Manchester City (2023).

Guardiola is also one of a handful of managers to triumph in the Champions League with multiple clubs. The Catalonian coach has amassed more than 100 wins in the competition, while only Carlo Ancelotti (407) has amassed more points in the UCL than Guardiola (370).

The new 36-team UCL Group Stage format will test Guardiola’s ability to adapt again on the continent. Despite being listed as favourites in betting markets in Champions League betting offers, City were eliminated in the Knockout Phase Playoffs last term.

Zinédine Zidane

As ethereal and enigmatic as a coach as he was as a player, Zinedine Zidane made history when he led his beloved Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Indeed, the Frenchman remains the only manager to win three back-to-back finals in the competition, an extraordinary feat that belied his relative inexperience as a coach at the time.

Zidane had a star-studded Real Madrid roster at his disposal, including a prime-aged Cristiano Ronaldo, though he managed to quell the egos to get the absolute best out of his talented charges before sailing off into the sunset.

Bob Paisley

An absolute titan of Liverpool’s golden era, Paisley guided the Merseysiders to three European Cups (the predecessor to today’s Champions League) in 1977, 1978, and 1981. Though his era predates the modern competition format, his trophy haul remains legendary.

Objectively speaking, the older version of the European Cup, which had less games and fewer elite teams, was easier to win, however, Paisley built some incredible Reds teams, rightly earning him a place in the pantheon of the competition’s best-ever managers.

Managers with Dual Triumphs: Title-Winning with Multiple Clubs

Several other managers share the rare achievement of winning the Champions League with more than one club. Their achievements demonstrate not just tactical brilliance, but adaptability across cultures, squads and playing styles.

• Ernst Happel – Feyenoord (1970) and Hamburger SV (1983)
• Ottmar Hitzfeld – Borussia Dortmund (1997) and Bayern Munich (2001)
• José Mourinho – Porto (2004) and Inter Milan (2010)
• Jupp Heynckes – Real Madrid (1998) and Bayern Munich (2013)
• Pep Guardiola – Barcelona (2008 & 2011) and Manchester City (2023)
• Luis Enrique – Barcelona (2015) and Paris Saint-Germain (2025)
• Carlo Ancelotti – AC Milan (2003, 2007) and Real Madrid (2014, 2022, 2024)

Records Beyond Titles: Games, Wins, Finals

Trophies will always be the ultimate yardstick of success, however, other metrics can also be used to assert managerial greatness in the Champions League:

• Total Finals Appearances: That man, Mr. Champions League, Carlos Ancelotti, leads the rankings here with an unbeatable six appearances in finals as a manager.
• Most Matches & Victories: Ancelotti also tops both categories here with over 200 games and north of 120 wins. Pep Guardiola is close behind and has a chance to overtake his Italian coaching counterpart over the next couple of years.
• Consecutive Final Wins: Zidane’s trio of consecutive championships remains unmatched. Sir Alex Ferguson led Man Utd to three finals in four years between 2008 and 2011, though United only won once.

Table: Champions League Managerial Legends