90. Claudio Ranieri
The Ranieri story is a reminder to never give up on your dreams. The Italian’s landmark achievement came aged 64, almost 30 years into his eclectic career.
He has led 18 clubs with mixed fortunes, impressing at Fiorentina, Valencia (the first time), Chelsea and Parma, but not so much with Juventus, Valencia (second time round), Inter, Monaco, Watford or Greece.
But he’ll always have Leicester. The 2015/16 Premier League title triumph masterminded by Ranieri was nothing short of the most incredible underdog success in modern football history.
89. Jupp Derwall
The 23 consecutive victories delivered by the dashing Derwall is a German national team record which still stands to this day.
The former forward managed a brilliant Mannschaft to success at the 1980 European Championship, then reached the World Cup final two years later, where they lost to Italy after a thrilling semi-final comeback against France in Seville.
Derwall later took charge at Galatasaray and was credited with bringing modern coaching methods to Turkish football.
88. Stan Cullis
As a player, Cullis was once dropped by England after refusing to perform a Nazi salute before a 1938 international against Germany.
He was a deeply principled man, and vowed never to coach again after being sacked by his beloved Wolves in 1964 (although he did, at neighbouring Birmingham).
Cullis had proved a revelation in the dugout, winning Wolves the FA Cup in 1949 when he was 32, followed by three First Division titles and another FA Cup.
87. Mircea Lucescu
“Lucescu is a Shakhtar legend. He was our teacher not only in football, but in life.”
So said captain Darijo Srna of his departing coach in 2016, and he wasn’t exaggerating – Lucescu often encouraged his cosmopolitan squads to study, read, learn languages and take cooking lessons.
The Romanian boss has also bagged 13 league titles around Europe, including eight – and a UEFA Cup – in the dozen years he spent making Shakhtar Donetsk top dogs in Ukraine. He's now in charge of Dynamo Kyiv after a stint with Turkey.
86. Vic Buckingham
Before Total Football, the Netherlands’ rise can be traced to a Londoner called Vic. It was the trilby-topped Buckingham – an FA Cup winner with West Bromwich Albion and future Barcelona boss – who laid the foundations for Ajax’s identity.
He handed a 17-year-old Johan Cruyff his debut and, in Cruyff’s words, “gave us some professionalism”, but he also gave Ajax a possession-based approach and ultimately teed up Rinus Michels for a new Dutch dynasty.
85. Richard Moller Nielsen
The Danish FA initially overlooked Nielsen for the Denmark job, and only appointed him after one deal had collapsed and seven other candidates rejected the post.
Then the Laudrup brothers walked out in protest at his defensive football, and the Danes narrowly missed out on qualification for Euro 92 – until the outbreak of the Bosnian war saw them replace Yugoslavia.
With Brian – but not Michael – Laudrup back in the fold, Denmark stunned France to reach the semi-finals, where they beat the Netherlands before completing their remarkable triumph against favourites Germany.
84. Alberto Suppici
In 1930, a 31-year-old Suppici coached Uruguay to success at the inaugural World Cup – and almost a century later, no younger manager has won it.
‘El Profesor’ took charge of the Olympic champions and led them to third in the South American Championship of 1929, before lifting the World Cup a year later.
Uruguay trailed Argentina at half-time in the final but stormed back to win 4-2, one-armed forward Hector Castro sealing victory late on.
83. George Ramsay
Ramsay joined Aston Villa as a player by accident, invited to make up the numbers in an 1876 practice match. So impressive were his skills, he was recruited on the spot.
Injury curtailed his playing career but opened a new door in 1884, as the Scot became the first-ever manager in the history of world football.
His paid secretary position at Villa – a gig he held for four decades – was the first of its kind, and culminated in six league titles and six FA Cups.
82. Fulvio Bernardini
Legend has it that virtuoso midfielder Bernardini was dropped by Italy boss Vittorio Pozzo in 1931 for being too good. “Your team-mates don’t have the same grasp of the game,” Pozzo is claimed to have told him.
Bernardini spun similar gold as a manager. In a league forever dominated by Milan and Turin, he guided Fiorentina to a first Scudetto in 1956, then won Serie A again with Bologna in 1964. Sandwiched in between was Lazio’s maiden trophy, the 1958 Coppa Italia.
81. Silvia Neid
The most triumphant German national team manager since reunification isn’t Joachim Löw. In fact, Neid and Tina Theune (stop sniggering) share that record with four women’s titles apiece.
Theune won Germany’s first World Cup in 2003; Neid led them to their second four years on without even conceding.
Ruthless, expertly drilled and yet a delight to watch in possession, Neid’s side won European Championships in both 2009 and 2013, before she signed off with gold at the 2016 Olympics.
