Top five most successful football managers in history

The list is a whose who of the most decorated names in football management.

A managerial position at a football club is often the one that brings with the greatest pressure of performance. It is ultimately at his feet that the buck stops. The trigger-happy nature of the owners of clubs in the modern game has meant that the job is often fleeting.

However, there have been a few managers that have defied all odds and written themselves into the annals of history by leading their sides to trophies and prizes that many individuals could only dream of.

Here is a list of the top five most decorated football managers of all time.

5. Ottmar Hitzfeld – 28 Trophies

The German manager is one of the few men to have appeared on the touchline for both Borussia Dortmund as well as Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga as well as the Champions League with both clubs. Hitzfeld received 28 honours over the course of his career, primarily from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.

Hitzfeld was also awarded the “World’s Best Coach” award twice, in 1996 and 2000. The now-retired German will now go down as one of the greatest managers to grace the sport.

4. Valeriy Lobanovskyi – 30 Trophies

The late Ukrainian manager was one of the first to approach management with a scientific and tactical approach. His revolutionary methods won him 30 honours over the course of his career. Lobanovskyi was a five-time Ukrainian Champion with Dynamo Kiev as well as a European Super Cup winner.

Lobanovskiy was posthumously awarded a FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honour offered by the football governing body.

3. Mircea Lucescu – 32 Trophies

Mircea Lucescu is the most decorated active football manager in the world with 32 major honours to his name. Lucescu has plied his managerial trade at a massive 14 clubs, and is now at the helm of the Turkish National team. At 74 years of age, Lucescu has confirmed that his role with Turkey will be his last commitment in professional football.

The Romanian manager has had his share of European success with victories in the Europa League as well as the European Super Cup.

2. Pep Guardiola – 35 titles

Pep Guardiola has already accumulated 32 trophies in his managerial career. The Spaniard has won silverware at each club he has managed. The tactician has led the teams like FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City to great heights. With plenty of years remaining in his relatively young managerial career, Pep will certainly rise up the ranks and might challenge the top-ranked Sir Alex Ferguson’s record.

The Spanish manager won the second treble as a manager and this time with Manchester City. By doing so, he is also the first manager to win two trebles.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson – 49 Trophies

There is not a lot that can be said about Sir Alex that has not been said before. The Scotsman began his managerial career at Aberdeen before Manchester United came knocking. Thus, began a 27-year-long love story that involved a host of trophies and utter domination of the footballing world.

Ferguson, over the course of his career, won 49 major trophies, making him the most decorated football manager of all time, by some distance.

Most Successful Football Managers: Out of the 49 silverware, 38 were for Manchester United

Ferguson won a record 13 Premier League, two Champion’s Leagues as well as a host of other honours with Manchester United, undoubtedly making him the greatest football manager of all time.