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Managing a football club is one of the toughest jobs because only one thing matters, i.e., winning. A manager is judged on his ability to win matches and amass titles and trophies in his career.
A number of great managers such as Arrigo Sacchi and Johan Cruyff were able to win trophies while playing revolutionary football immortalizing their achievements in the game. Some other managers were unable to win a lot of titles despite having great coaching skills, and they are remembered far less in history.
Winning trophies is the utmost priority for every manager in football. Several of the greatest managers in football history are no longer active, but their title-winning legacies remain. We have compiled a list of the five most decorated managers in football history and here they are.
#5 Jock Stein (26 titles)
Jock Stein created the pathway to success for British football managers with his own success in the 1960s and 70s. Stein played football professionally in Wales and Scotland before going on to become one of the greatest managers ever.
Stein had spells managing Dunfermline, Hibernian, Leeds United and the Scotland national team (twice), but his greatest success came as Celtic manager. The Scotland national became Celtic's manager in 1965 and immediately won his first title with the club, the Scottish Cup.
His Celtic side went on to win the league title every season from the 1965-66 season to the 1973-74 season. Stein won the Scottish League 10 times as Celtic manager, and the Scottish Cup another eight times.
Stein was the first British manager ever to win the European Cup after his Celtic side won the title in 1966-67. He also won the Scottish League Cup six times with the club. He led his side to a quadruple in 1966-67.
Stein won 25 trophies as Celtic boss and one as Dunfermline Athletic boss, the Scottish Cup.
#4 Pep Guardiola (31 titles)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is a serial winner and one of the best tacticians of his generation. The Spaniard has managed FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City in his career so far, and has won trophies everywhere he has been.
Guardiola started his managerial career at Barcelona, taking over at the club in 2008 after Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard. The Spaniard announced his arrival on the managerial scene by winning a first treble for Barcelona in his debut season.
Guardiola quickly followed it up with another three titles in 2009-10 and became the first manager to hold six titles at a time. The manager moved to Bayern Munich and then Manchester City in 2016, where he achieved great success.
Guardiola has won the Premier League three times, League Cup four times and FA Cup once as Manchester City manager. At Barcelona, he won the UEFA Champions League twice, La Liga thrice, Copa del Rey twice, and the Supercopa thrice.
In Germany, he won the Bundesliga three times and German Cup twice. He has won the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup thrice each, and the Community Shield twice.
#3 Valeriy Lobanovskyi (33 titles)
Valeriy Lobanovskiy was a Ukrainian manager who amassed a lot of trophies and made Dynamo Kyiv into one of Europe's top sides in the 70s and 80s. He went into management at the age of 30 after a playing career as a left winger.
His first club in management was Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 1968. He impressed during his time at the club, causing Dynamo Kyiv to snap him up in 1973. Lobanovskiy managed to turn heads during his time as Dynamo manager, creating a winning system for the club.
He made use of science and mathematical calculations to determine the levels of his players for matches. He also ensured that all his outfield players could play every position and emphasised on pressing high.
Lobanovskiy won 33 trophies as manager, including 13 league titles, 12 cups, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice and Gulf Cup of Nations, among others. He passed away in 2002 after his return to the Dynamo Kyiv dugout. Ukrainian icon Andriy Shevchenko was one of the players he trained.
#2 Mircea Lucescu (37 titles)
Romanian manager Mircea Lucescu is one of the most decorated football managers in world football. He enjoyed a stellar playing career and captained Romania to the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Lucescu has managed Romania's national team as well as a host of clubs. This includes Shakhtar Donetsk, Besiktas, Internazionale and Zenit St Petersburg, among others. He won a host of titles, including eight Ukrainian Premier League titles, six Ukrainian Cups, seven Ukrainian Super Cups and the 2008–09 UEFA Cup.
Lucescu has won 37 titles since making his managerial bow in 1979. He presently manages Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine and is one of the few managers to manage 100 games in the UEFA Champions League.
#1 Sir Alex Ferguson (48 titles)
Sir Alex Ferguson is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all-time for his exploits in football. The Scottish manager enjoyed a successful career in management and won a great number of titles.
Ferguson started his managerial career in Scotland before moving to England, where he took over as Manchester United manager in 1986. He oversaw the club's most dominant spell and helped establish them as a superpower of the 1990s and 2000s.
Ferguson led the Red Devils to an unprecedented treble in 1999, making him the only manager to ever achieve the feat with an English club. Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cup titles, two UEFA Champions League titles and four League Cup titles with United.
Ferguson won 12 titles in Scotland with St Mirren and Aberdeen. He was knighted in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his services to football. He retired in 2013 after leading Manchester United to their most recent Premier League title.
