Top five most successful foreign managers in German football of all time

These tacticians are often considered among the best the country has ever seen.

The debate over which of the best football leagues in Europe is the most competitive is something you frequently hear as a fan. To most people, it is a point of pride to follow a competitive league, because the competition is the very backbone of the sport. Although the Bundesliga is not as popular as the Premier League or the La Liga, the German top-tier has have been helped immensely by foreign managers to grow into what they are right now.

Bayern Munich has won the German top-flight title in each of the past eight seasons, while they finished outside the podium most recently in 2006-07, when they were placed fourth in the table. Borussia Dortmund - the most recent league champions other than the Bavarians - last won the trophy in 2011-12, since when they have finished runners-up in five different seasons. While all of this directly points at a lack of competition in German football, a fact that most fans tend to overlook is that very few foreign managers taste success in the country - unlike in other countries like England, Spain or Italy.

Several foreign managers have still enjoyed moderate to high levels of success in Germany. Let's take a look at the best five among them.

5. Pal Csernai (Hungary)

Former Hungarian international Pal Csernai did not enjoy a glittering playing career, but he made up for it by becoming one of the best foreign managers in the history of Bundesliga. He won two German league titles and one German Cup with them, and also coached Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and Hertha Berlin during the later stages of his career.

Overall, Csernai made 200 appearances in Bundesliga as a manager, and won an average of 1.75 points per game. He lost only a total of 54 matches during his time in the country, and for a long time held the record for the most wins in the league among foreign managers.

4. Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy)

Trapattoni spent a major part of his coaching career with Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, but joined Bayern Munich for a single season in 1994-95 before returning for a second term after another year. He also managed VfB Stuttgart in the 2005-06 season, and wrapped up his stint in the country with an average of 1.82 points per game from 122 matches.

Trapattoni won the Bundesliga, German Cup and the German League Cup once each with Bayern Munich, and although he left Stuttgart a few months prior to their title-winning 2006-07 campaign, his work with them is regarded as one of the reasons behind their success.

3. Ernst Happel (Austria)

Rapid Vienna legend and former Austrian international Ernst Happel is remembered more fondly for his managerial career, having won domestic and continental titles with multiple clubs across Europe. Some of his best results happened when he was the manager at Hamburger SV, who transformed from a mid-table side to world beaters under him in the span of just two years.

Happel won the European Cup, the German league (twice) and the German Cup with the Hamburg-based side. With an average of 1.86 points won per game in 204 matches, he is regarded as one of the most succesful foreign managers in the country even today.

2. Louis van Gaal (The Netherlands)

Former Dutch manager Louis van Gaal's inclusion in this list is a no-brainer, given how he has been successful all across Europe. The 68-year-old has won trophies in as many as four different countries in the continent, the latest of them being the FA Cup win with Manchester United in 2015-16.

At Bayern Munich, van Gaal stayed only for a little more than one season, but by then he had led them to the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the German Super Cup. He has accumulated an average of 1.94 points per game from the 63 matches in his time with the Bavarians.

1. Pep Guardiola (Spain)

One of the most successful tacticians in modern-day football, Pep Guardiola is at the top of this list, with a mind-boggling 2.41 points per game in 161 appearances as Bayern Munich's boss. The Spaniard lost only a total of 21 matches across three seasons - most of which came in his final campaign in the country in the 2015-16 season.

He won the Bundesliga (thrice), German Cup (twice) and the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup (once each), before moving to England and winning back-to-back league titles with Manchester City. Till date, Guardiola is the most successful foreign manager in the Bundesliga, based on his points-per-game average.