Top 10 Greatest Career Football Coach in the 20th Century

The descriptions of the main achievements and historical status in this list are comprehensively referenced from the public reports and historical materials of professional sports media such as BBC Sport, Sky Sports. It should be noted that there are different views on the ranking of “greatness” and the selection of individual coaches. This ranking aims to arouse discussions and exchanges.

The 10th: Arsène Wenger

Main Achievements: Arsène Wenger has 3 Premier League titles and 7 FA Cup titles. These achievements show his strength in coaching Arsenal.

Tactical Style: He is an advocate of beautiful football. He emphasizes ground – passing control, quick passing and creative attacks, making the game more attractive.

Historical Status: Wenger coached at Arsenal for 22 years and created the glorious era of the Gunners. He is honored as the “French Professor”.

Author’s Comment: Wenger is not only a symbol of the club but also a football idealist. The technical style he created in the Premier League has deeply changed the league’s ecology.

The 9th: Bill Shankly

Main Achievements: Bill Shankly led Liverpool to win 3 English top – flight league titles and 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup, which was the club’s first European title.

Tactical Style: He adopted high – intensity pressing and quick direct passes. He emphasized discipline, passion and the spirit of never giving up, inspiring the players.

Historical Status: This Scottish coach is one of the greatest founders of Liverpool Club and laid the foundation for the club’s development.

Author’s Comment: Shankly built not only a team but also a team culture called “You’ll never walk alone”. His spiritual legacy far outweighs the championship trophies.

The 8th: Matt Busby

Main Achievements: Matt Busby led Manchester United to win 5 English top – flight league titles and 1 European Champions Cup, which was the club’s first Champions League title.

Tactical Style: He is a firm supporter of attacking football. He focuses on training young players and emphasizes the width and creativity of attacks, cultivating many stars.

Historical Status: He led Manchester United to rise from the ruins of the Munich air disaster. He is a real great man.

Author’s Comment: The story of Sir Busby goes beyond sports. He used faith to turn tragedy into a legend and is a real rebuilder.

The 7th: José Mourinho

Main Achievements: José Mourinho led Porto to win the UEFA Cup and the Champions League in a row. He led Inter Milan to achieve the first treble in Serie A history.

Tactical Style: He adopted extreme defensive counter – attacks and tactical discipline. He is honored as the “Master of Pragmatism” and focuses on the actual game results.

Historical Status: He is honored as “The Special One”. He is one of the most personality – rich and influential coaches in contemporary times.

Author’s Comment: Mourinho proves that there are different philosophies for victory. He is a genius and also an eternal controversial figure. He coaches in a unique way.

The 6th: Arrigo Sacchi

Main Achievements: Arrigo Sacchi led AC Milan to win two Champions League titles. He led the Italian national team to the final of the 1994 World Cup.

Tactical Style: He is a revolutionary in high – pressure pressing and zonal defense. He emphasizes overall movement and renews the modern football defensive concept.

Historical Status: He is the founder of the concepts of high – pressure pressing and zonal defense in football.

Author’s Comment: Although Sacchi had no outstanding playing career, his ideas conquered Europe. It proves that the power of ideas can surpass talent.

The 5th: Johan Cruyff

Main Achievements: Johan Cruyff led Barcelona to win the club’s first Champions League title. He is the founder of the La Masia youth training concept.

Tactical Style: He is the inheritor and promoter of “Total Football”. He laid the foundation of Barcelona’s passing and controlling philosophy and influenced the team’s style.

Historical Status: He has a profound impact on Spanish and even world football. He is a Dutch legend and promotes the development of football.

Author’s Comment: As a player and a coach, Cruyff has changed football. He himself is the founder of a football religion and has great influence.

The 4th: Carlo Ancelotti

Main Achievements: Carlo Ancelotti is the only coach who has won league titles in all five major leagues. He has also won the Champions League title the most times (4 times).

Tactical Style: He is a pragmatic and flexible management master. He is good at customizing tactics according to the characteristics of players and giving full play to their maximum value.

Historical Status: He is regarded by many as the most outstanding head coach in the 21st century. He is famous for his excellent adaptability and management wisdom.

Author’s Comment: Ancelotti is the ultimate example of “cooking according to the ingredients”. His success proves that managing people and designing tactics are equally important.

The 3rd: Josep Guardiola

Main Achievements: Josep Guardiola created the first “Sextuple” team in the history of Barcelona. He led Manchester City to achieve the “Quintuple” dominance.

Tactical Style: He adopted the ultimate philosophy of ball – controlling and position. He developed “Tiki – Taka” to a new height and controlled the game rhythm.

Historical Status: He is a “tactical master” who leads an era with his unique football philosophy and influences many coaches.

Author’s Comment: Guardiola is a ultimate innovator in the football world. He constantly challenges the boundaries of tactics and redefines what it means to “control” the game.

The 2nd: Alex Ferguson

Main Achievements: Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to win 13 Premier League titles, 2 Champions League titles and a total of 49 various championships.

Tactical Style: He is a powerful management and psychological motivation master. Tactically, he is eclectic. The core is his unparalleled leadership.

Historical Status: This Scottish “Sir” is the builder of the Manchester United dynasty and led the team to glory.

Author’s Comment: The greatness of Sir Ferguson lies in his decades – long dominance. His ability to manage the team and rebuild the cycle is a textbook of management.

The 1st: Rinus Michels

Main Achievements: His ideological successors led Ajax to achieve three consecutive Champions League titles. He led the Dutch national team to win the World Cup runner – up and the European Championship.

Tactical Style: He is the chief designer of “Total Football”. He broke the traditional position division through continuous running and position – changing and innovated tactics.

Historical Status: He was officially selected as the “Best Coach of the 20th Century” by FIFA and is a key figure in the development of football tactics.

Author’s Comment: Michels is the Zeus in the history of football. He created the “thunder” of “Total Football”. We can still hear its echo today. He is the source of all modern tactics.

As mentioned at the beginning, any ranking is just the starting point of a collision of views, not the end. If you have a deeper need to discuss the achievements, tactical philosophies or rankings of a certain coach, or want to know about other great coaches (such as Trapattoni, Herrera, etc.), I am always willing to communicate.