Ranked! The 50 best managers in the world
The best managers in the world, from club to country, big clubs to small, and everyone in between
20. Arne Slot
A Europa Conference League final in his first season was followed by a league title in his second for Arne Slot. Under the Dutchman, the likes of Luis Sinisterra, Tyrell Malacia, Marcos Senesi, Orkun Kokcu, Reiss Nelson and Santiago Gimenez have flourished at Feyenoord, meanwhile – and it’s easy to see why.
The seemingly imminent Liverpool manager favours a back four, inverting full-backs and peppering the goal with wave after wave of pressure: remind you of anyone? It’s typical Eredivisie to play high-octane and direct, yet Slot is calm and composed from the touchline and already looks cut from the cloth of great Dutch coaches of the past. At 45, his career is just beginning.
19. Michel
While many look towards Barcelona for exciting, attacking football in Catalonia, Girona have impressed many in La Liga through the slick tactics employed by Michel. Overloading with a box-midfield is common in his asymmetrical system, while five attackers pushing defences back is regularly visible, too.
Having earned promotion from Spain’s second tier in his first season at Girona, Michel then led them to 10th last term – and they have been one of the surprise packages of the 2023/24 season, challenging at the top of La Liga against the likes of Real Madrid and Barça. Links to replace Pep Guardiola are seemingly well-justified.
18. Didier Deschamps
A highly successful centre midfielder in his heyday, Didier Deschamps has developed into one of the best French coaches to ever grace the game.
Beginning with Monaco during the early 2000s, Les Rouges et Blancs almost made it a European adventure for the record books after just being pipped by Jose Mourinho’s Porto back in 2004: successful spells with Marseille and Juventus soon followed before his big break with France came in 2012 where he has remained ever since.
World Cup winners in 2018 and finalists again in 2022, the French have talent oozing from their squad with Deschamps tasked with more silverware at this summer's European Championships in Germany. Can he deliver once more?
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17. Ange Postecoglou
Spurs were scrambling for a manager in the summer when they finally landed on Big Ange - but what an appointment it proved to be when he was running on steam. Initially doubted – not for the first time, following his previous start at Celtic and spells at sides in Australia – Postecoglou won his critics over with a high-octane, exciting, possession style football.
Don’t get it twisted, either, the Aussie had an extremely difficult test on his hands walking into Spurs over the summer. Antonio Conte had upset just about every single person at the club and the ownership and chairman were coming under serious pressure from the fans. Oh, and club record goalscorer and talisman Harry Kane had just departed for Bayern Munich.
OK, so they look like they've run out of gas. Tottenham are now destined for fifth and the fans are questioning if there's a Plan B to this “100 miles-per-hour, mate” style. It's when Big Ange is doubted that he often comes up trumps: can he surprise everyone again next term?
16. Ruben Amorim
Whenever a Premier League job becomes available, Amorim is invariably linked - and it’s easy to see why.
At 39, the Portuguese has been hugely impressive ever since winning Portugal’s league cup final with Braga in 2020 against Porto, just three weeks into his first senior managerial reign. Sporting quickly came calling, and Amorim hasn’t looked back. A possession-based manager, a league title followed in 2021, and they look set to win it all over again.
It won't be long before he comes to the big leagues. Liverpool were interested, West Ham, too, and it seems as if his future lies away from Lisbon. And perhaps then, everyone else will see what all the fuss about.
15. Sebastian Hoeness
In a league where surprises are fairly routine and underdogs are expected (check out the fallen giants further down the pyramid), Stuttgart are one of the more pleasant shocks of the Bundesliga this season, pushing up the table to keep pace with the big boys.
Sebastian Hoeness – nephew of Bayern Munich legend Uli – has taken a fairly un-noteworthy group of players into the top four in Germany, spearheaded by super Serhou Guirassy, who can't stop scoring. It's been a fantastic story – and one that's been overlooked in a season in which the ultimate underdogs clinched the title. Still, Stuttgart back in the Champions League is a phenomenal achievement, given where the club has been in recent seasons.
14. Thomas Tuchel
The Bayern Munich job has been tough for Thomas Tuchel – almost losing the title on the final day of last season before blowing it to 'Neverkusen' this time around – but the German still dines from the very top table when it comes to the club game.
Over the years, Tuchel has shown all sides of his psyche; a rebel taking on the establishment at Borussia Dortmund, crossing that threshold at Paris Saint-Germain and attempting to keep peace in a warring dressing room. An exciting attack-minded tactician who later turned Chelsea into a watertight cruiseliner, his career is becoming one of reinvention.
Now, we await what he has in store next. The Thin White Duke of Bavaria can never be second-guessed: he’s ruthless, razor-sharp and with a night at Wembley still in his sights before he departs Die Roten, it wouldn’t be wise to write him off at the Allianz just yet.
13. Abel Ferreira
Abel Ferreira says that he learned a lot from Football Manager. Well, back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles is stuff of video games.
Ferreira's side might only operate with a mid-block and grind out victories when they need but as a character, Ferreira is box-office. He's dedicated wins to his "annoying neighbour", he has the energy of a Duracell bunny on the sidelines and he's transformed the menality of his Palmeiras side into serial winners – so comparisons with Jose Mourinho are apt, to say the least… only he's rooted in empathy and academy football.
“The greatest evolution of Palmeiras after Abel’s arrival [was] a feeling of appreciation and a sense of belonging among all the club’s workers, from the cook to the youth squads, to the professional team and the board,” Mateus Augustine, an analyst in Brazil. He's precisely the feel-good factor of Brazilian football and already a legend in South America for his achievements.
12. Roberto De Zerbi
Arriving at Brighton in September 2022, many were questioning the Italian’s appointment. A largely unknown quantity, the 44-year-old seemed a choice completely out of left-field. Inevitably, the Seagulls were right once again.
Under De Zerbi, Brighton qualified for European football for the first time in their history, as they finished sixth in the Premier League in 2022/23. But it’s not just the results that makes De Zerbi so impressive, it’s his tactical courage that sets him apart from the rest. Brighton have been encouraged to deliberately invite pressure, drawing in the opposition before exploiting the space left behind. But don’t just take our word for it - Pep Guardiola has been hugely impressed.
“There is no team playing the way they play - it’s unique,” Guardiola said. “I had the feeling when he arrived the impact he would have in the Premier League would be great - but I didn’t expect him to do it in this short space of time.
“He creates 20 or 25 chances per game, better by far than most opponents. He monopolises the ball in a way it hasn’t been for a long time. They deserve completely the success they have.”
11. Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe took Bournemouth from 92nd in the pyramid to ninth within a decade. That needs repeating as often as possible – and it's why despite an injury-ravaged season, he'll always be highly regarded.
The former defender was always the best man-manager in the room, taking a clutch of League One stars and building a Premier League side around them on the south coast, before adding more youth products that Bournemouth were able to sell to save themselves after the eventual relegation. Now, Howe's improved tactically.
Agreeing to become the boss at a Newcastle United side destined for relegation in 2021 seemed a strange choice - two years on, though, it’s proved anything but. The Magpies reached their first cup final in over 20 years when they faced Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last February, before qualifying for the Champions League with an exceptional fourth-placed finish.
But that’s almost a disservice to Howe. Players such as Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Sean Longstaff – heck, even Jacob Murphy – have all flourished under Howe’s guidance, and are all players who were at the club prior to his arrival. Changes to the squad’s mentality has resulted in a winning mindset, while their front-foot approach often blows teams away.
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Prev Page The 50 best managers in the world: 30-21 Next Page The 50 best managers in the world: 10-1Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
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