The greatest managers of the 21st century have been ranked, although there are enough iconic bosses to have made a list ranking 20, 30, or even 40. Spain rightly take a lot of the plaudits, with Luis Enrique and Vicente Del Bosque both making the final list, while the Premier League duopoly of Guardiola and Klopp both finish higher. Zidane's silverware at Real Madrid stands out in his notable managerial career filled with success, but not quite as much as successor Carlo Ancelotti.
In the overexamined complexities of modern football, a manager's influence can make or break a team's success. The 21st century has seen an array of remarkable tacticians who have shaped the game with their strategic brilliance, leadership, and innovative approaches. From masterminding unforgettable victories to nurturing young talents, these managers have left an indelible mark on the sport.
But while their impetus on the field is the most important instrument to measure their success, the age of showbiz means that head coaches are noted for their personalities and media presence is just as important nowadays. From the energetic charisma or Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, all the way through to the cool, calm, unfazed auras of Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, this century has given the football world a lot to be grateful for. Through Spain and Real Madrid's dominance around 2010 and the emergence of the Premier League as the powerhouse division in Europe at the turn of the century, 24 years on from New Year's Eve of 1999, there are enough iconic head coaches to rank 20, 30, or even 40.
But for the purposes of time, below are GIVEMESPORT's 10 greatest managers of the 21st century so far. Trophies won post-2000 Longevity Success relative to clubs managed Legacy and lasting impact on the sport Greatest football managers of the 21st century (ranked) Rank Manager Teams managed in the 21st century 1. Pep Guardiola Barcelona B, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City 2.
Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United 3. Carlo Ancelotti Juventus, AC MIlan, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton 4. Jurgen Klopp Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool 5.
Jose Mourinho Benfica, UD Leiria, Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma Fenerbahce 6. Vicente del Bosque Real Madrid Castilla, Real Madrid, Besiktas, Spain 7. Zinedine Zidane Real Madrid 8.
Diego Simeone Racing Club, Estudiantes, River Plate, San Lorenzo, Catania, Atletico Madrid 9. Luis Enrique Barcelona B, Roma, Celta Vigo, Barcelona, Spain, PSG 10. Antonio Conte Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta, Siena, Juventus, Italy, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Tottenham, Napoli Only contributions from 2000 onwards have been used to rank these managers, as the start of the 21st century was on 1 January, 2000.
10 Antonio Conte While the hot-headed Italian may not currently pop into your head as one of the greatest managers of the century following his tumultuous spell at Tottenham Hotspur , his record elsewhere embodies success. Having won a Scudetto three-peat with Juventus and once with Inter , and a league title with Chelsea in his debut season in the Premier League , Conte has proven himself to be a commander of success domestically. With the Blues, Conte equalled the Premier League record of most consecutive wins in a season that was set by Arsenal - achieved when the exciteable and touchline-prowling head coach navigated 13 wins in his first 13 English league games - which followed with the achievement in the subsequent month of becoming the first manager to win three consecutive Premier League Manager of the Month awards.
9 Luis Enrique The phrase that can sum up Barcelona fans' feelings toward Luis Enrique best is probably 'you never know what you have until it's gone.' Following Pep Guardiola's departure from the Camp Nou in 2012, Barcelona dipped, and some may have questioned whether they could ever reach the levels of success experienced under Pep ever again. However, in his debut season at the club as manager, Enrique shook up the team and led the Catalan side to a historic treble of La Liga , the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.
Enrique retained the title the following season and won two further Copa del Rey titles with the team. 8 Diego Simeone With Atletico Madrid being a club playing in the second division of Spain in the early 2000s and having only finished in the top four of La Liga once in the 21st century (2008/09), Diego Simeone's transformation of the club is like no other during what's been of the century so far. Under the Argentinian coach, the club have never finished outside the top four since his appointment, and have won two La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey during that period.
Best known as a master of a defensive-minded approach, the 54-year-old is woven into the fabric of Madrid, and for such a hardened manager to have won an average of two points per game over such a long career span, his position on this list is undeniable. 7 Zinedine Zidane While many question the place that Zinedine Zidane holds as one of the great managers, one measurement that is unquestionable is silverware. The France legend won three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid, along with two La Liga titles.
And while the hot seat at the Santiago Bernabeau is one of the most luxurious thrones in world football, managing a changing room featuring the vibrant personalities of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos is never as easy as it looks. Realistically, the only thing stopping him from being further up in the management rankings is longevity, because all the numbers are all there. In 2021, he resigned after having won 66% of his 331 games in charge, making him not only one of the best French players of all time, but also one of the best French managers to ever grace the technical area.
From Didier Deschamps to Arsene Wenger, the best French managers have been named and ranked. 6 Vicente del Bosque The only manager in this top 10 ranking who has delivered success at both club level and internationally is former Real Madrid and Spain boss Vicente del Bosque. As manager of the iconic Galacticos side of the early 2000s, Del Bosque picked up two LaLiga titles and two Champions Leagues, along with a Spanish Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Following a short spell at Besiktas and a sporting director role at Cadiz, Del Bosque was appointed as manager of the Spain national team, which led to a period of historic dominance, winning Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup , followed by Euro 2012. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Spain, under Vicente del Bosque, are the only national team to win three consecutive major international finals. 5 Jose Mourinho If this list was being written 10 years ago, Mourinho would have been a hot contender for the no.
1 spot on this list. Despite his rate of success slowing down in recent years, he remains one of the top bosses in Europe. The extremely confident Portuguese manager changed the image of football coaches when he burst onto the scene in 2004 as the Champions League-winning coach of Porto.
And he certainly walked the talk when he moved to Chelsea that summer and broke the Man United / Arsenal duopoly to win back-to-back Premier League titles with The Blues. Mourinho solidified his legendary status in football management when he went on to win his second Champions League title with Inter in 2010, along with the Serie A title and Coppa D'Italia. 4 Jurgen Klopp Similar to Simeone, Klopp 's transformation of the sides he has managed places him as one of the greatest managers of the century.
Taking over a very unimpressive 13th placed Borussia Dortmund side in 2008, Klopp turned Dortmund into the heavy metal football force of Europe within just a few years, winning the Bundesliga in 2011 and 2012, before destroying Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final in 2013. And in 2016, a similar project came when Klopp was called on to awake the similarly placed sleeping giant of Liverpool . After bringing his style to the Premier League, Klopp brought back a sixth European Cup to Anfield in 2019, and ended Liverpool's 30-year wait for a title the following season.
The German has also won the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup at The Reds, restoring Liverpool as one of the biggest clubs in Europe. The Premier League has seen plenty of great teams in its long history but some clubs will be marvelled about for years to come. 3 Carlo Ancelotti Ancelotti has been at the apex of the managerial game for over 20 years, having won his first Champions League title with AC Milan in 2002/03.
The Italian has gone on to win another with Milan, and three with Real Madrid in 2014, 2022, and 2024, which makes him the most successful boss to have ever taken part in the competition - he is also the only head coach to have managed in six finals. What's more, Ancelotti holds the incredible statistic of being the only manager to have won the title in each of Europe's five top leagues. While his tactics may not be as in your face as Klopp's, Guardiola's, or Mourinho's, his trophy cabinet speaks for itself, and when that eyebrow is raised on the touchline, opponents might as well give in there and then, as Los Blancos will almost inevitably find a clandestine way of getting themselves back into full control of the fixture at hand.
2 Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United fans look away now! You may have expected the Scotsman to top the ranking of the greatest managers of the century, but the former United boss will have to settle for second; something he most likely is not used to! Ferguson came into Old Trafford in 1986 and the former Aberdeen coach vowed to "knock Liverpool off their perch." And by the mid-1990s, he had delivered on his promise. But it was at the turn of the century that Glasgow's most famous son really earnt his stripes as one of the best in the business.
From 2000 onwards, Ferguson helped the Red Devils win seven Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and one Champions League, alongside reaching the final of the latter on a further two occasions. Manchester United have never posed a serious title challenge since he retired in 2013, going through six managers and two caretaker managers in that period, which only emphasises how brilliant 'Fergie's' reign of terror was. 1 Pep Guardiola Pep Guardiola has shown the perfect mix of transforming sides and changing the game tactically, while picking up silverware along the way.
Barcelona legend and Johann Cruyff student, the Spaniard became the Blaugrana manager in 2008 and quickly created one of the greatest football teams ever seen at the Camp Nou. Guardiola's Barcelona side went on to win a famous sextuple in 2009 (LaLiga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup), before another Champions League and LaLiga double in 2011. He then completed a Bundesliga three-peat, along with two German Cups, at Bayern Munich , before joining Manchester City in 2016.
At Manchester City, Guardiola has won the Premier League five times, including a record-breaking four consecutively following the 2023/24 campaign, the FA Cup once, and the League Cup four times. Yet, even after all these successes in the northwest, his coruscating moment didn't come until 2023, when the Cityzens won a treble - the first by an English club in the 21st century..
