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After a strange season ridden with uncertainty, the UEFA Champions League has finally come to an end with Bayern Munich winning their sixth continental title. They were pitted against first-time finalists Paris Saint-Germain and prevailed victorious against the French champions to record their second domestic treble — their second over the last eight years.
Hans-Dieter Flick has had a monumental role to play in their historic treble win, as the German transformed how Bayern approached the game.
Perhaps the most astonishing part about Flick's tenure so far is the fact that this is his first season as head coach of Bayern, a top-flight team, in his career. His only managerial roles so far have been with Viktoria Bammental as player-manager and at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, back when they were in the fourth tier of German football.
Despite his inexperience, the German guided the Bavarians to the promised land in his first attempt at the club and kickstarting a new era at the Allianz Arena. Here, we take a look at five managers who won the UCL in their first spell as a full-time manager at a club, beginning with the most recent such occurrence.
#5 Hans-Dieter Flick | Bayern Munich
Until November 2019, this Bayern Munich side didn't look like a team that would match the heights that they eventually did, let alone do so in such explosive fashion. They were plagued with doubts over the future of then-manager Niko Kovac, who was ultimately sacked a day after an embarrassing 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Flick joined Bayern at the start of the season as an assistant to Kovac and took over the reins after the Croat's sacking, and since that moment, there has been no looking back for club or manager. The 55-year-old sparked the German champions back to life, drastically changing the way they played the game.
Flick's rendition of the same Bayern Munich squad that lost 5-1 to Frankfurt has been nothing short of breathtaking as they look stronger, sharper, and deservedly won the crown of being the best team in Europe. The Bavarians played 36 games under Flick in all competitions, winning 33 of them, losing two and drawing one. The UCL winners scored a staggering 116 goals in this period and let in just 26 goals. One of the most remarkable managerial debuts at a club across any era of football.
#4 Roberto Di Matteo | Chelsea
Italian midfielder Roberto Di Matteo plied his trade at Stamford Bridge as a player from 1996 to 2002, the longest spell at any club he endured as a player. Nine years after his six-year period and retirement at Chelsea, he returned to London as an assistant to Andre Villas-Boas, and rather poetically, took over as head coach a decade after his departure in the wake of the Portuguese's sacking.
Chelsea suddenly began to look like a team brimming with imagination and inspiration as the Blues overturned a two-goal deficit against Napoli in the UCL last 16. Chelsea lost the first-leg 3-1 and put on a show after beating the Italians 4-1 in the reverse fixture. After an incredibly dramatic win against Barcelona in the semi-finals, Di Matteo guided Chelsea to their biggest-ever achievement since the turn of the century.
The Blues were tasked with beating then-four time champions Bayern Munich in their own backyard to win their first UCL title under Roman Abramovich's ownership. An unbelievably resilient Chelsea side held on until the 83rd minute until Thomas Muller broke the deadlock, only to see it cancelled out by Didier Drogba at the other end just five minutes later. Chelsea eventually won on penalties, with Petr Cech saving two penalties. Di Matteo won the UCL and eventually left later on in 2013.
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#3 Luis Enrique | Barcelona
Former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder Luis Enrique got off to an incredible start to life as a Barcelona manager in 2014. After brief spells at AS Roma and Celta Vigo, the Spaniard returned to the Nou Camp, the place where he began his management spell with Barcelona B side. His arrival coincided with the arrival of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
The former Liverpool man forged one of the greatest frontlines in football history upon his arrival under Enrique. The trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Suarez fired Enrique's men to glory across all fronts. The season was, though, filled with both exciting and controversial moments. Enrique reportedly had a disagreement with Messi over some issues, leading to the Argentine even being dropped from the XI away to Real Sociedad midway through the season.
Enrique and Messi eventually put aside their differences, and the Spaniard guided Barcelona to a historic second treble, a feat no other club achieved until Flick's Bayern. The Blaugrana destroyed a hapless Juventus in the 2015 Berlin final to complete the treble. Enrique won LaLiga Santander by just two points that year, and went on to win a domestic double in his second year as well. He eventually resigned from the job due to personal reasons after three years at the helm of the Nou Camp.
#2 Zinedine Zidane | Real Madrid
After retiring as one of the greatest players in the history of football at the Santiago Bernabeu, Zinedine Zidane embarked on his coaching adventure at Real Madrid. He gained valuable experience after coaching the Castilla side for over 50 games, and was called upon into senior management action as a consequence of Rafa Benitez's sacking.
Zidane took over and lifted the star-studded Los Blancos squad in a manner that no one could. The 48-year-old guided them to their 11th UCL title in his first few months not only as manager of Real Madrid but as a senior manager. The Frenchman's side beat Manchester City in the semi-final and then prevailed victorious over their cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid in the final in Milan. Zidane managed to win two more successive UCLs the two years that followed before announcing his departure.
Since January 4th, 2016 — the day that Zidane was appointed as head coach of Real Madrid — the legendary Frenchman would go on to win a staggering 11 titles with Los Blancos. After a return in the wake of Santiago Solari's sacking, Zidane is currently overseeing a massive overhaul of the squad and is sure to be at the helm of the Bernabeu for years to come. Genuinely one of the greatest introductions into management in the history of football.
#1 Pep Guardiola | Barcelona
Pep Guardiola is widely regarded as one of the greatest football minds of the 21st century. The Catalan, who honed his skills with Barcelona B, succeeded Frank Rijkaard at the helm of the Nou Camp in 2008 and embarked on one of the greatest managerial careers of the sport.
The Spaniard, upon his appointment as manager of Barcelona, terraformed the manner in which the club have played football since the turn of the century. The 49-year-old recorded one of the finest seasons in the history of the club as he won LaLiga Santander, the UCL, and Copa del Rey in his first season at Barcelona and in his career. His Barcelona were up against Manchester United in the Champions League final, whom they beat by a scoreline of 2-0 to win their first-ever treble. The Blaugrana also had to navigate past a tricky Chelsea side in the semi-finals.
Guardiola would go on to lay a foundation that would power Barcelona to an endless list of titles from 2008, as they have been one of the most successful clubs in the world since then. His holy trinity of Xaxi, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets went on to become one of the most dominant midfields since time immemorable.
The now-Manchester City manager went on to win a breathtaking six trophies in 2009 — making him the only manager to win the sextuple — and won a total of 14 trophies across four years at the Nou Camp. There has been no looking back for the Catalan since then as he is regarded as one of the greatest football managers of this generation.
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