The best coaches in football history – icons who changed the face of the game

Throughout the history of football, many coaches have left a lasting mark on the game. Which ones are remembered by fans, and which became legends during their lifetime? Here are some of the greatest football coaches, their achievements, and the ways they changed the game!

The role of the coach – do they really have such a huge impact on the team?

Although it is the players who win on the pitch, none of them could reach the top of the football world without proper guidance and a clear plan. Coaches are often blamed when a team is underperforming, yet they are rarely celebrated for the cups, championships, or other trophies they help secure. In reality, no team can succeed without a coach capable of organising and uniting a group of strong personalities who will give their all for each other on the pitch.

The greatest coaches of all time are not just excellent motivators or team managers. They are visionaries who, from the sidelines, can observe and analyse more than anyone else in their position. They dedicate hours to studying each opponent, anticipating their moves, and exploiting weaknesses.

That is why the most outstanding football coaches often build their teams from scratch or unlock the hidden potential of their players. Their vision, innovative tactics, ability to set trends, and talent for connecting with players are why top-class coaches are often as celebrated as star players. It’s time to meet some of the leading coaches!

Johan Cruyff – a magician as a player, a genius as a coach

Cruyff is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in football history. During his career, he mainly played as an attacking midfielder or striker. He won the Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award, three times. As a player, he was Dutch champion nine times, Spanish champion once, and won the European Cup (the predecessor of the Champions League) three times. With the Dutch national team, he also reached the World Cup final in 1974.

After ending his playing career at 37, Cruyff immediately began coaching. Within just one year, he took over as coach of Ajax Amsterdam, guiding them to three consecutive Dutch runner-up finishes. Along the way, he won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987. In 1988, he returned to FC Barcelona, where he earned recognition as one of the world’s best coaches. He introduced the concept of ‘total football,’ originally developed by the legendary, though often overshadowed, Rinus Michels. His teams played with incredible intensity, speed, creativity, and relentless pressing. The interchangeability of positions confused opponents, and every player had a basic understanding of all positions on the pitch.

Cruyff’s Barcelona, featuring stars such as Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov, and Andoni Zubizarreta, dominated La Liga and won the club’s first-ever European Cup. This marked the beginning of the Blaugrana’s golden era, as Cruyff’s protégés continued to develop and perfect his football philosophy.

Sir Alex Ferguson – leader of the Red Devils

Few managers have been as closely associated with a single club as Sir Alex Ferguson. Although Ferguson was a fairly competent footballer, he never left Scotland and was not a standout star. His managerial career, however, was an entirely different story. Ferguson shocked the football world as Aberdeen’s coach, leading the club to three Scottish championships and the Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1982/1983 season. In 1986, he joined Manchester United, where he remained at the helm for the next 27 years.

The Red Devils and Ferguson became inseparable, with the Scottish coach serving as the driving force behind the club’s successes. His achievements include:

• 13 English championships
• 5 FA Cup victories
• 4 English League Cup wins
• 2 Champions League titles
• Cup Winners’ Cup
• European Super Cup
• Club World Cup

The list is extraordinary. While United had access to top-tier talent, Ferguson often spotted less obvious players and developed them into Premier League and world-class stars. During his tenure, players such as Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Nemanja Vidić, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, and Gary Neville flourished under his guidance.

Ferguson perfected the classic 4-4-2 system, optimising winger performance, striker partnerships, and the freedom of central midfielders to dictate play. His players followed him through fire, and anyone who refused to prioritise the team or challenge his authority quickly departed the club. As Ferguson famously said: “The moment a player becomes more important than the manager, the club dies.”

Jose Mourinho – controversial, but painfully effective

There is probably no other coach who has polarised the football community as much as Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese took the football world by storm, first leading FC Porto to victory in the UEFA Cup (the predecessor of the Europa League) and then to the European club championship, the Champions League. He was brought in by London’s Chelsea, where he became famous for recruiting talented players, whom he then trained and turned into world-class stars. His work with Inter Milan brought him another Champions League victory, but his most famous period was undoubtedly his work at Real Madrid. During this time, the conflict between Real and FC Barcelona reached its peak. Fans followed Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos vs Gerard Pique, and finally Jose Mourinho vs Pep Guardiola, with many also taking breaks to try their luck on platforms like Wanted Win Casino. It would be an understatement to say that Mourinho added fuel to the fire.

His nickname, ‘The Special One,’ says a lot about his approach to football and the world. His controversial statements polarised fans, and his team’s play often drove their rivals crazy. He was painfully effective, even if his teams’ style was not always pleasing to the eye. In terms of defence, however, he was a true genius, and his deadly counterattacks and carefully planned tactics surprised even the most powerful opponents. Mourinho’s revolutionary approach on the pitch and his sharp tongue off it have led many fans to continue ranking him very highly among the greatest coaches of all time.

Pep Guardiola – a coaching authority who changed the way football is played

For many, he is the best coach in history, and there are undoubtedly many arguments to support this thesis. Guardiola was an outstanding midfielder who was shaped by Cruyff. He absorbed all the tactical knowledge like a sponge, which he then applied in his coaching career. He started with a bang by taking over FC Barcelona, immediately achieving success with the club, dominating the Spanish league, and winning two Champions League titles. He is the father of Lionel Messi’s success, who is considered one of the best footballers in history. By focusing on young players trained at the famous La Masia academy, the Catalans created a real dynasty that shook world football for a decade.

At Bayern Munich, Guardiola dominated the Bundesliga, while his work at Manchester City is a brilliant summary of his career. Achieving absolute dominance in the Premier League, widely regarded as the best league in the world, is no small feat. All this was capped off with another Champions League victory in 2023.

Guardiola’s Barcelona dominated their rivals with tiki-taka – a style of play based on control, possession, and finesse. Opponents simply could not keep up with the precision and speed with which the Blaugrana players moved the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. Added to this was high pressing and a focus on maximizing scoring opportunities. Through combination passes, the players often advanced almost directly to goal, making the strikers’ job easier while leaving the opponents’ defence in amazement. The wingers, meanwhile, crowded the centre of the pitch, effectively becoming additional strikers.

Pep Guardiola’s great strength is his flexibility. When rival coaches began to read his tiki-taka style, he increased the intensity, focusing even more on speed and the work of the wingers. He is also a huge inspiration for other players who are gradually making a name for themselves as coaches – great examples include Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso. Other coaches continue to learn from him, which only shows how much the Catalan has changed the way people think about football and how strongly he has written himself into the history of the sport.

Other exceptional coaches who should not be forgotten

 ● Rinus Michels – European champion with the Netherlands national team, long-time coach of Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona;
 ● Ernst Happel – two-time European Cup winner and 1978 World Cup runner-up;
 ● Carlo Ancelotti – five-time Champions League winner and the only coach in history to have won the top five European leagues (Italy, England, France, Spain, Germany).