Top 5 managers of all time with the most UEFA Champions League appearances

#3 Carlo Ancelotti - 167 UEFA Champions League appearances

Real Betis v Real Madrid CF - La Liga Santander

Teams managed: FC Bayern Munich (12), Juventus (10), Chelsea FC (18), AC Milan (73), Real Madrid CF (26), Paris Saint-Germain (10), Parma FC (6), SSC Napoli (12)

Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most respected names in world football. The Italian has a knack for making his teams play an engaging brand of football, which the fans tend to appreciate. Ancelotti is also an excellent man-manager and knows how to keep even the biggest egos in check. He is tactically sound, is capable of handling pressure, and is an astute reader of the game.

Ancelotti, who is the current manager of Real Madrid, has won the UEFA Champions League thrice. While his first two UEFA Champions League wins came with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007, his final triumph came with Real Madrid in 2014.

The win in 2014 was especially remarkable, as it was the club’s 10th Champions League title - ‘La Decima’. Los Blancos did not win the European tournament for 12 years before Ancelotti took over and changed the course of history.

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#2 Arsene Wenger - 178 UEFA Champions League appearances

Media Interviews - 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards - Berlin

Teams managed: Arsenal (171), AS Monaco (7)

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believed in playing a specific brand of football. He loved possession, wanted his boys to enjoy the game, and instructed his boys to make the game fun for viewers. On paper, the philosophy was bulletproof. In reality, Wenger had to endure a lot of humiliation and disappointment in the UEFA Champions League and Premier League.

Wenger is the only manager on our list who has never won the UEFA Champions League. His most heroic push for the European title came in 2006. However, a spirited Barcelona had enough firepower to register a 2-1 win at the expense of Arsenal in the final.

Now 71, Wenger has refrained from managing another club. If nothing drastic happens, Wenger will go down as the greatest manager not to win the UEFA Champions League.

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#1 Sir Alex Ferguson - 190 UEFA Champions League appearances

Villarreal CF v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Final

Team managed: Manchester United (190)

Sir Alex Ferguson is the most respected manager of this era. The Scottish tactician was the perfect blend of determination and warmth, of explosiveness and poise. He took Manchester United to the greatest possible heights, winning 13 Premier Leagues and two UEFA Champions Leagues in 27 years.

Under his tutelage, the Red Devils won their first UEFA Champions League title in 1999. His second and the club’s last triumph in the tournament came in 2008 when they beat fellow English club Chelsea on penalties in the final.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of 190 will probably be shattered by Pep Guardiola and co., but the impact he has had on the competition will live on. Ferguson still follows Manchester United closely and the club will try and do their best to make him proud at the end of the season.

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