5 greatest football managers of all time

#2. Rinus Michels:

Rinus Michels

Rinus Michels was a pioneer in world football in many ways. He inculcated the philosophy of total football first at Ajax Amsterdam, and then at FC Barcelona. In that particular style of football, there was no fixed playing position for a footballer, and they used to fill in for their teammates when the latter used to be out of their original positions.

It also involved a tight and close passing game, which put emphasis on keeping the possession of the ball. Ajax became the best club in Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s under Michels’ tutelage and won a European Cup under him. He also won 4 Eredivisie titles with Ajax.

The legendary Johan Cruyff was the talismanic player for Ajax during that period. Cruyff and Michels again combined to produce a stellar display for the Dutch national team in the 1974 World Cup. The Netherlands also had players like Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol and Van Hanegem in their team, but lost to hosts West Germany 1-2 in the final.

Michels took the charge of FC Barcelona in 1971 and made the passing football popular at the Catalan club as well. Cruyff joined him at Barcelona in 1978 and made Barcelona the best club in Spain. Michels won one La Liga title as the manager of Barca.

He again became the manager of the Dutch national side in 1986, and won the European Championship with them in 1988, beating USSR 2-0 in the final. Michels inspired a generation of footballers including Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Ronald Koeman, and Frank Rijkaard. Michels’ legacy continues to live in world football even today, as he is duly called the pioneer of the much popular “tiki-taka” style of football.