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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.
Also read: 5 LaLiga players who would be perfect for the Premier League
