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Club football and international football are similar but inherently different. While players at their respective clubs enjoy more time perfecting moves and working on tactics, international sides have barely two months a year to work together.
For many footballing nations, the key to gunning for an international trophy is constant experimentation. With most nations' lack of squad consistency and ever-changing coaching cycle, reaching expectations as an international side can be quite daunting.
However, there are some world-class managers who have successfully bypassed these hurdles and become some of the best international coaches in the world.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five such managers:
5. Luis Enrique (Spain)
The star manager is notable for being one of the few players who made the switch from Real Madrid to Barcelona during his playing career. Luis Enrique began his managerial career four years after hanging up his boots, guiding Barcelona to nine trophies during his hugely successful stint at the club. These included back-to-back La Liga titles as well as continental success in three competitions.
Picking up the mantle from Fernando Hierro in 2018, Enrique has overseen 19 wins in 34 games with Spain, recording only five defeats in the last four years. Although he is yet to win any honors with La Roja, Enrique's side came close to a trophy during the recently concluded UEFA Nations League, losing to France in the final.
4. Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Before he took up national coaching duties with Gli Azzuri in 2018, Roberto Mancini enjoyed a scintillating club managerial career across Europe. At Inter Milan, he won seven trophies before heading to Manchester City where he kick-started the team's Premier League dominance a decade ago.
Although the star coach was only appointed as Italy's head coach a few years ago, he has already conducted the side to a first place finish in the 2020 Euros. Italy's recent appearances in World Cup qualifiers have seen them stumble into the playoffs, but Gli Azzuri have faith that Mancini will take them to the World Cup next year.
3. Joachim Löw (Germany)
Although he recently resigned from his position as the coach of the German national football team, Joachim Löw is arguably one of the best managers in world football. During his tenure as head coach that began in 2006, Löw led Germany to glory at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, as well as the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. He notably achieved a second place finish in the 2008 Euros as well.
The star manager maintained a strong success rate with Die Mannschaft, winning 124 out of 197 matches. His 15-year tenure saw Löw only 33 losses, an average of just two losses per year. The European giants also saw a large number of goals scored under Joachim Low's command, with the Germans picking up 467 goals in just 197 games.
2. Vincente del Bosque (Spain)
After a glamorous, trophy-laden career playing for Real Madrid, Vincente del Bosque returned to the Santiago Bernabeu as manager and led the side to seven trophies. His appointment to the Spanish national team as head coach saw the former Real Madrid midfielder kick-start an era of Spanish dominance in football.
His eight-year tenure as Spain's head coach started in 2008, and he was quick to deliver their first World Cup trophy in 2010. He continued in similar fashion, driving La Roja to win the Euros in 2012. Before he concluded his journey with Spain in 2016, Vincent del Bosque had led the side to an astonishing 87 wins in 114 games. Spain lost just 17 games during his entire managerial stretch with the national team.
1. Didier Deschamps (France)
After spending the earlier part of the century managing Monaco, Juventus and Marseille, Didier Deschamps joined the French national team in 2012 as head coach. He had a successful managerial career at club level, picking up seven trophies and titles across three clubs.
It took Deschamps a while to build the title-winning squad he needed to begin France's domination of Europe and the world. By 2018, he had led Les Bleus to a dramatic World Cup victory, and three years later, he guided the side to a Nations League trophy. France have already qualified for next year's World Cup, and with the star-studded team Deschamps has gathered, there's a good chance they will win the coveted trophy again.
