Top 10 Managers with Most Trophies in the History of Football (Ranked)

Trophies are the greatest treasures in managers’ careers, and football has been blessed with some of the greatest coaches. These coaches have not only taken their teams to new heights but also created legacies in the sport’s Golden Book. Throughout their careers, these managers have won every possible trophy. For instance, Sir Alex Ferguson spent almost his whole coaching career as the Manchester United manager and won all major titles with the English giants.

Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, and a few other great managers have already accumulated tons of trophies, with their cabinets overflowing with this silverware. Some managers got the status of legends, while some were forgotten in the annals of history. Managers’ impact goes unnoticed most of the time, but only when they’re gone, the club and fans understand their true worth. In this article, we have ranked the managers with the most trophies won in football history.

List of Football Managers With the Most Trophies

Below is the table ranking the top 10 football managers with the most trophies based on the total number of trophies they won in their managerial career. This table will give an oversight of the managers with most trophies with the respective clubs they managed and their tenure.

Who are Football Managers with Most Trophies?

The detailed list below of the top 10 best football managers with most trophies gives a brief about the journey of respective managers who, with their hard work and smart work became eligible to enter the list of the coaches with most trophies

10. Giovanni Trapattoni | Age: 86

The former AC Milan manager won two European titles as a player and became one of the greatest managers in the history of football. Giovanni Trapattoni is one of the few individuals to have lifted the prestigious Champions League as a player and manager. His most exciting time on the side of the white line came during his managerial stint at Juventus, where he led them to the 1985 European Cup and six Serie A titles, making him one of the managers with most trophies in the world.

The Italian also turned out to be successful with Bayern Munich, winning the German title once. Trapattoni managed the great foes in Italy in the form of AC Milan and Inter Milan. Not many remember his heroics from the sidelines, winning a trophy for Red Bull Salzburg and the Republic of Ireland.

9. Jose Mourinho | Age: 62

“Park the bus!” This was the most-used phrase to describe Jose Mourinho’s stint at Manchester United. He is most probably the most loved and hated character in the world of football managers. “The Special One” of the game has 26 trophies in his silverware collection, with the last one coming in 2022 in the form of Roma’s UEFA Conference League glory.

From fighting with other coaches to giving fiery speeches, the Portuguese coach has delivered plenty of eye-catching moments. He has won three Champions League trophies so far. Especially his tenures as the Chelsea and Real Madrid gaffer showed his greatness. Although he has slowed down a bit in recent years, who can forget his tactical brilliance during the 2011-12 La Liga season, where they broke the most points earned in a single season. Having won 26 trophies, he is one of the managers with most trophies in history.

8. Luiz Felipe Scolari | Age: 76

The Big Phil of Brazil. Luiz Felipe Scolari is one of the greatest coaches who remains underrated and popularly known for his unfortunate run at the 2014 World Cup. He guided the legendary Brazil team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup title before leading the nation to the 2013 Confederation Cup victory. However, his great mind was not limited to the backyard of international football only. Scolari also tasted great success in club football.

He has managed clubs like Bunyodkor, Gremio, and Guangzhou Evergrande in his decorated coaching career. But Selecao’s World Cup glory is his best achievement as a coach. Since he left the Selecao, the team has lost its spark and failed to make any impact in the FIFA World Cups. With 31 trophies to his name, Scolari is one of the managers with most trophies in football history.

7. Ottmar Hitzfeld | Age: 76

When club football was being modernized in the fastest way possible, Ottmar Hitzfeld climbed up the ranks of the legendary coaches with his brilliant tactical ideas on the sidelines in Germany. The great coach first won the UEFA Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, and then with Bayern Munich four years later. He made a habit of winning major trophies at Borussia Dortmund, despite being a crucial part of the powerful Bavarians later on.

Last time, he was seen on the other side of the white line when he was managing the Swiss national team. Ottmar is one of the most successful managers in Bayern Munich’s history. He has won 14 titles, making him one of the best managers with most trophies.

6. Carlo Ancelotti | Age: 66

If a calm and composed character had a face, then it was the Italian great Carlo Ancelotti. In his dazzling managerial career, Carlo has coached some of the biggest European clubs like Bayern Munich and AC Milan. Now, he is managing Real Madrid, already won three Champions League trophies with the Spanish giants. However, his career peaked when he won two European titles and two UEFA Super Cups with AC Milan at the early stage of his career.

The way he is managing a star-studded Madrid side, it is fair to say that he will add a few more silverware to his trophy cabinet, which is already laced head to toe in every major title. He has won five UCL titles, the most won by a manager. Last season, Real Madrid struggled a lot with star and key players getting injured. and got knocked out by Arsenal during the quarter-finals in the UEFA Champions League. After a mixed second tenure with the Los Blancos, the manager parted ways with one of the most successful clubs in the world to join the Brazilian National Football Team.

5. Valeriy Lobanovskyi | Age: Died at 63

Valeriy Lobanovskyi has won 34 major trophies in his dazzling managerial career. Surprisingly, 32 of these titles came during his three stints at Dynamo Kyiv. All major trophies, such as the Ukrainian top flight and Soviet Championship, including the UEFA Super Cup, were acquired by him as the Ukrainian club’s manager. One of the best coaches in the world, Lobanovskyi enjoyed a 32-year career on the sidelines.

His coaching was renowned for high pressing, positional play and discipline, making him one of the greatest tacticians in the history of the game. Valeriy Lobanovskyi has cemented his place as one of the best football managers with the most trophies in the history of this sport.

4. Jock Stein | Age: Died at 62

Celtic was once voted the greatest club in the 20th century, and the main man behind that achievement was Jock Stein, the ultimate legend of the Scottish giants. The legendary manager won seven consecutive domestic titles with the Scottish heavyweights and ten overall. Celtic lifted eight Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups with Stein at the helm of the club.

He had an aura that created a sense of friendship amongst the top players who worked like a force to lead the Scottish giants to every major domestic trophy. Celtic fans won’t forget his impact and legacy, winning an impressive 31 trophies. He is one of the managers with most trophies in the history of this sport, with 38 to his name.

3. Mircea Lucescu | Age: 80

Mircea Lucescu is third on the list of the best managers with the most trophies. The legendary coach enjoyed success at almost every corner of the European continent with the likes of Inter Milan, Dynamo Kyiv, Galatasaray, and Shakhtar Donetsk. In just 12 years, the great Romanian went through 573 matches as a manager.

He is a bona fide figure in the history of Ukrainian football. Lucescu retired from the world of management after serving in the hot seat at the age of 78. He has cemented his legacy as one of the best coaches with most trophies in Shakhtar Donetsk’s history, with 22 to his name.

2. Pep Guardiola | Age: 54

The only manager who has a great chance to go past the number of trophies won by Sir Alex Ferguson is Pep Guardiola. He is considered the greatest think tank in modern football. The 54-year-old manager has coached two elite European clubs – Barcelona and Bayern Munich before coming to Manchester City. A sextuple with Barcelona and a lot of domestic honours with the Bavarians set the tone of his glorious journey to the Etihad.

At Manchester, he has already led the Citizens to their first-ever Champions League and treble. Now, he will aim to break Ferguson’s staggering trophy-winning record. He had a great chance this season to lessen the lead, but Manchester City has struggled to win any trophies this season. Pep has already won 18 trophies at the Etihad Stadium and has become the manager with most trophies.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson | Age: 83

If you ask who the greatest manager is and the first on the list of football managers with the most trophies in football history, then you don’t need to go anywhere else except the Hall of Fame at Manchester United, where you can see the name of the great Sir Alex Ferguson. He is the god of trophies and the ultimate example of how a manager should be. His achievements at Old Trafford are out of this mundane world. 27 years, 38 trophies, and plenty of unforgettable moments.

His rivalry with Arsene Wenger during the late 1990s and early 2000s provided fans with some of the best games played in the English Premier League‘s history. Man United beating Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final during the 1998-99 season, what a game it was, Roy Keane getting sent off, while Ryan Giggs scored the winner in the extra time. Sir Alex Ferguson went on to win the treble that season. This is the legacy Alex Ferguson has left behind at Manchester United. The Scottish manager is one of the managers with most trophies.