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There are not many jobs that have a more precarious nature than that of a football manager, with the results-based nature of the business meaning that coaches are often fired as soon as things go south.
This, in turn, means that only a handful of managers are able to cement their legacy in the coaching annals, with their revolutionary tactics, expert man-management and bulky trophy cabinet placing them on a pedestal high above their peers.
At any given point, there is always a select group of coaches who stand out from their contemporaries. In this article, we shall have a rundown of the top five managers in the world at the moment.
#5 Antonio Conte (Inter Milan)
Antonio Conte put his name in the annals of Italian football history, with his spell as Juventus manager setting the ideal template for the unprecedented success that the Turin giants have enjoyed since then.
This was followed by a brief and successful spell with the Italian national team. He guided an unfancied Azurri to the quarterfinal of the 2016 Euro before his appointment with Chelsea.
In England, he rose above the initial scepticism shown towards his preferred three-at-the-back system and guided the Blues to a record-breaking Premier League triumph. His methods were so influential that they prompted several other coaches in the league to experiment with them.
The 50-year-old has since returned to Serie A with Inter Milan, where he has helped bring out the best in players like Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku. He also started putting in the work needed to depose his former side from their perch in Italy's top division.
#4 Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
One of the greatest footballing miracles of the last decade was witnessed when Atletico Madrid rose above both Barcelona and Real Madrid to win La Liga in 2014 while a couple of Champions League finals also followed.
Los Colchoneros have transformed from an average side in Spain into genuine European heavyweights since then and they have Diego 'Cholo' Simeone to thank for this.
While his methods might not exactly be everybody's cup of tea, it cannot be denied that the 50-year-old is as tactically astute as the best managers in the world, with his notable scalps including the likes of Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and, most recently, Jurgen Klopp, whose Liverpool side he defeated twice in the Champions League.
#3 Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid)
Unlike the other names on this list, Zinedine Zidane does not get as much praise for his tactical acumen, with many ascribing his successes down to his expert man-management.
Nonetheless, the Frenchman is immensely successful for someone who is supposedly not tactically astute. With 11 major trophies won in just three-and-a-half years of management, the 48-year-old is on course to surpass his legendary playing career.
Having made history as the first man to win three consecutive Champions Leagues in its new format, Zidane returned to help Real Madrid to an unlikely La Liga title this season, deposing a Messi-led Barcelona from the summit.
The fact that he did this while forging Los Blancos into a defensively compact side that are extremely hard to beat, while also finding a way to utilise the strengths of all his players is indicative that Zizou's tactical abilities are grossly underrated.
#2 Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
29 trophies in just over 12 years of management. These numbers alone are enough to tell you about the iconic manager that is Pep Guardiola and this is before you even begin to consider his revolutionary tactical methods and studious attention to detail.
Having risen to the top of the ranks with record-breaking spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the Spaniard was appointed by Manchester City in 2016 and has since gone on to tumble many records in England.
#1 Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
After a thirty-year wait, Liverpool ended their Premier League trophy drought in June 2020, which incidentally marked a memorable 12 months that had seen them triumph in the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
These successes were four years in the making and can be traced back to when Liverpool appointed Jurgen Klopp after hitting rock bottom in 2016. The German manager slowly built the club back to their previous standards, which would not have come as a surprise to those who religiously followed his career trajectory.
