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Real Madrid are the most storied club in footballing history and were named Club of the Century in 2000.
Ever since they were formed in 1902, Los Blancos have gone on to cement their legacy in several competitions. Their unique association with the UEFA Champions League is one of football's most enduring stories.
Given the club's annals and allure, it is not surprising that some of the greatest players in history have represented the club, with the likes of Raul Gonzalez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Zinedine Zidane and Alfredo Di Stefano all ranked among the greatest players to ever step on a field.
However, it is not only in playing personnel where Real Madrid ranks highly. Some legendary managers have sat in the dugout throughout the club's 119-year history.
The Madrid giants are known for having a short lease when it comes to coaches and have one of the highest managerial turnover rates in club football.
Despite this, some coaches have managed to distinguish themselves from others at Real Madrid and cemented their legacies in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout with their achievements.
With that in mind, here are the five greatest Real Madrid managers in history.
Top 5 managers in Real Madrid's history
Honorable mentions: Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho
#5 Luis Carniglia
Luis Carniglia spent most of his playing career in Argentina and France before delving into football management with Nice.
He enjoyed immediate success with the French side, winning Ligue 1 in his first season. He departed for Real Madrid after two years in France.
The Argentine inherited a Real Madrid squad that was brimming with talent, including Alfredo Di Stefano, Francesco Gento, Raymond Kopa and Ferenc Puskas.
Carniglia, however, did not have a high opinion of Puskas, as the legendary Hungarian had not played professional football in over a year and was considerably overweight.
Nevertheless, he got Puskas into shape and helped him lose 15kg before the season started.
Carniglia's spell at Real Madrid saw him win the European Cup twice, in addition to one La Liga title in 1958.
He controversially left Puskas out of the 1959 European Cup final. Despite winning the trophy, he was sacked by Santiago Bernabeu, who was chairman of the club at the time.
#4 Vicente Del Bosque
Vicente Del Bosque is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in history and is, so far, the only manager to have won the World Cup, UEFA Champions League and European Championship.
Having spent most of his professional career playing for Real Madrid, Del Bosque returned to the Santiago Bernabeu as a manager in 1999 and led the club to two UEFA Champions League titles in the next three years.
He also added two La Liga crowns in 2001 and 2003 before he unceremoniously departed the club just a day after winning its 29th league crown.
His calm demeanour helped pacify the superstars in the Real Madrid dressing room during the first Galactico era. Following his departure, the club struggled to achieve success for several years.
#3 Jose Villalonga
Real Madrid and the European Cup have an intertwined history, and it all dates back to the Spanish giants winning the first-ever edition of the tournament in 1956.
Villalonga was appointed midway through the 1954-55 season. He helped the club win a double in his first season in charge.
This saw Real Madrid partake in the first edition of the European Cup. Los Blancos made it all the way to the final where they defeated Reims 4-3 in Paris.
Jose Villalonga was aged just 36 years and 184 days, making him the youngest manager to win the trophy to date. He successfully defended the continental crown as well as the La Liga title. He also won two Copa Latinas during his time in charge at the club.
He departed Real Madrid with a win percentage of 62.86% in two-and-half years, which underlines just how impressive his tenure as a manager was.
#2 Zinedine Zidane
Few players successfully transition from being great players to becoming great managers but Zinedine Zidane has done so as effortlessly as he controlled games from midfield in his heyday.
The World Cup winner is unarguably one of the greatest players in history and won everything winnable in a playing career that was littered with accolades.
However, it can be argued that his spell on the sidelines has been even more impressive.
The Frenchman took over the Real Madrid reins in the middle of what was a chaotic season. He ended the campaign by winning the club's 11th UEFA Champions League crown.
A year later, he successfully retained the title, becoming the first man in history to achieve this feat since the tournament's rebranding. He even went one further by making it a three-peat in 2018.
Zidane shockingly resigned during his press conference celebrating the third continental crown. However, he returned a year later and guided the club to La Liga glory in 2020.
In total, the 48-year-old has won 11 major trophies as Real Madrid boss and, rather remarkably, is yet to lose any final he has contested as a manager.
#1 Miguel Munoz
Miguel Munoz was the first man to win the European Cup as a player and manager, having captained Real Madrid to consecutive victories in 1956 and 1957.
He also scored the club's first goal in the European Cup and retired in 1958, having represented Los Blancos in over 300 matches.
His managerial spell was even more productive. He guided the club to two more European Cup triumphs in 1960 and 1966, in addition to nine La Liga crowns (including five in a row between 1961 and 1965).
He was also charged with transitioning the team from the golden era of Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Raymond Kopa into the new blood of Amancio Amaro, Santillana and Ignacio Zoco.
Munoz achieved this and made the team competitive, despite the departure of those iconic players.
He left the club in 1974 after spending 16 years at the helm, winning 14 major trophies. This makes him the longest-serving and most successful manager in Real Madrid's history.
For context, between 1955 and 1960 Real Madrid had seven coaches, while the next longest tenure as Los Blancos manager after Munoz is a paltry four years.
