The best football managers of the 90s

Behind every great football team, there's a great manager, and the 90s were certainly no exception in that regard.

From iconic international tacticians to trophy-hogging club coaches, FourFourTwo has taken a trip down memory lane to determine the best bosses from the final decade of the 20th century.

Let's go!

32. Tommy Svensson

One of Sweden’s best players of all time, Tommy Svensson represented his country at the 1970 World Cup; 21 years later, he was in the dugout.

In 1994, Svensson sprung a surprise by steering the Swedes to the World Cup semi-finals – propelled by stars such as Tomas Brolin and Kennet Andersson – and ultimately to third place.

31. Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock won his first promotion as a manager with Scarborough in 1987 – and they kept coming into the 90s, when he took Notts Country from the third to first tiers of English football in successive seasons, before going up with Huddersfield Town and Plymouth Argyle.

The decade set the tone for a long and successful career during which cult pantomime villain ‘Colin’ earned many admirers (and probably just as many enemies).

30. Joe Royle

Already an Everton legend from his time as a player in the 60s and 70s, Joe Royle returned to Goodison Park as manager in 1994 – and he couldn’t have made a better start, ending his first campaign in charge with victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final.

A few years earlier, Royle had guided Oldham Athletic to the top flight, where he kept them for two seasons.

29. Ron Atkinson

The early 90s were good to Ron Atkinson, bringing him League Cup success with two clubs: Sheffield Wednesday in 1991 and Aston Villa in 1994.

And the former triumph was particularly notable: Wednesday were a second-tier side when they defeated Manchester United – who had sacked Atkinson five years earlier – in the final.

‘Big Ron’ also finished as a runner-up in the inaugural Premier League season with Villa.

28. Berti Vogts

A 1974 World Cup winner as a player with West Germany, Berti Vogts succeeded the captain of that side, Franz Beckenbauer, as national team manager in 1990.

Six years later, the former defender guided a unified Germany to their first major international title at Euro ’96 – having been defeated in the final your years earlier.

27. Miroslav Blazevic

In June 1991, Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia; within five years, the small Balkan nation was already showing that it could punch above its weight as, under iconic coach Miroslav Blazevic its football team reached the quarter-finals of Euro 96, their first major tournament.

Two years later, it got even better: Blazevic took his country on a stunning run to third place at their maiden World Cup.

26. Howard Wilkinson

As of 2024, Howard Wilkinson was the last English manager to win the English top-flight title, doing so with Leeds in the 1991/92 season – the final campaign of the pre-Premier League era.

Remarkably, that success came just two years after Wilkinson had taken the Whites back to the top flight as Second Division champions.

25. Raymond Goethals

Runner-up in the French top flight with Bordeaux in 1989/90, Raymond Goethals went one better the following campaign by winning his first of consecutive Ligue 1 titles as Marseille boss.

Marseille were stripped of the 1992/93 title as they were implicated in a bribery scandal which saw them demoted to Ligue 2 – but their Champions League victory under Goethals that same season was not struck from the record.

24. Terry Venables

The late Terry Venables is right up there with England’s most popular managers of all time, having substantially restored pride in the national team with their run to the semi-finals of Euro ’96 on home soil.

Five years before he nearly brought football home, Venables lifted the 1990/91 FA Cup as Tottenham boss; and in 1997, ‘El Tel’ took Australia to the final of the Confederations Cup.

23. Richard Moller Nielsen

Drafted into the tournament at the 11th hour, Denmark wrote one of football’s great underdog stores by winning the 1992 European Championship – and the man who oversaw it all was Richard Moller Nielsen.

Previously coach of Denmark’s U21s and futsal side, Nielsen also guided his homeland to 1995 Confederations Cup victory, before finishing the 90s in charge of Finland.

22. Kevin Keegan

He’ll be remembered as one of the Premier League’s nearly men, but Kevin Keegan deserves so much more credit than that for his five years as Newcastle manager.

After guiding the Magpies back to the top flight as 1992/93 First Division champions, Keegan almost brought the title back to Tyneside with his wonderful ‘Entertainers’ side (only to fall short after, er, having a word with Alex Ferguson).

He capped off the decade by winning the Second Division title with Fulham, before taking the England job.

21. Walter Smith

Celtic and Rangers have had a stranglehold on Scottish football since the mid-80s, but they have tended to share the title around. In the 90s, though, Walter Smith changed that as Rangers boss.

Between 1991 and 1997, Smith steered the Gers to an incredible seven straight league championships (in addition to three Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups). He stepped down in 1998, only to join Everton within a month.

20. Mario Zagallo

In 1970, Mario Zagallo made history by becoming the first person to lift the World Cup as both a player and manager; 28 years later, in his third stint as Brazil boss, he very nearly became the first to win the tournament twice as a manager alone.

Brazil’s defeat to the hosts in the final of France 98 came a year after Zagallo had coached them to glory at the Copa America and Confederations Cup.

19. Gianluca Vialli

Hugely popular as a player for Chelsea, Gianluca Vialli became the Blues’ player-manager in February 1998. Within a matter of months, the Italian had secured glory in the League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.

Vialli – who died of cancer in 2023, aged just 58 – didn’t have a long career in the dugout, but he proved his managerial mettle during two-and-a-half years as boss at Stamford Bridge.

18. Valeriy Lobanovskyi

One of the most revolutionary coaches of all time – he is credited with inventing pressing – Ukrainian icon Valeriy Lobanovskyi took charge of Dynamo Kyiv for a third and final spell in 1997.

Within two years, Lobanovskyi – who managed the UAE at Italia ’90 – guided an Andriy Shevchenko-inspired Dynamo to the Champions League semi-finals, where they only narrowly lost to Bayern Munich.

17. Ljupko Petrovic

Apparently afflicted by managerial wanderlust, Ljupko Petrovic coached in Yugoslavia, Spain, Uruguay, Greece, Austria, the UAE and China during the 90s – but it was in the first of those, his homeland, that he enjoyed the greatest success.

In 1990/91, Petrovic led Red Star Belgrade to European Cup glory (having already secured the Yugoslav title).

16. Vujadin Boskov

In 1991/92, Vujadin Boskov assured legendary status by bringing the Serie A title to Sampdoria for the first time in the club’s history.

That Scudetto came in between victory in the Cup Winners’ Cup – La Samp’s maiden European trophy – and reaching the final of the European Cup.

The Serb also had spells in charge of Roma and Napoli, among others, during the 90s.

15. George Graham

George Graham bookended the 90s by doing something few have ever done: winning trophies with both Arsenal and North London rivals Tottenham.

The 1990/91 First Division title was the Scot’s first of three pieces of silverware with the Gunners during the decade – the FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup followed in 1993 and 1994 respectively – and he later lifted the 1998/99 with Spurs.

14. Kenny Dalglish

The only manager to win the English top-flight title before and during the Premier League era, Kenny Dalglish clinched his last of three championships as Liverpool boss in 1990 – then broke Manchester United’s dominance by repeating the feat with Blackburn Rovers five years later.

Sure, Blackburn were backed by the wealth of local millionaire Jack Walker, but Dalglish had only taken them up from the second tier in 1992; it was quite an achievement.

13. Arrigo Sacchi

Another manager who did an enormous amount to shape the game tactically, Arrigo Sacchi achieved back-to-back European Cup triumphs with his aggressive-pressing AC Milan side in 1989 and 1990.

That Rossoneri team is regarded as one of the greatest of all time, and Sacchi returned to Milan in 1996 after taking Italy to the 1994 World Cup final.

12. Jupp Heynckes

Another all-time great German manager, Jupp Heynckes began the 90s by steering Bayern Munich to a second straight Bundesliga title.

After spells with Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt and Tenerife, Heynckes took over at Real Madrid in 1997 – and guided the Spanish giants to Champions League glory during his first season in charge. Not bad going.

11. Bobby Robson

Immensely popular wherever he managed, Sir Bobby Robson came within a penalty shootout of the 1990 World Cup final as England boss, doing wonders for the perception of English football amid a turbulent period of hooliganism marring the game.

Soon after that, Robson won league titles in the Netherlands and Portugal with PSV and Porto respectively, before doing a Cup Winners’ Cup and Copa del Rey double at Barcelona.

10. Aime Jacquet

Just over a decade before coaching France to 1998 World Cup glory, Aime Jacquet was dominating Ligue 1 with Bordeaux, winning three Ligue 1 titles between 1983 and 1987.

Named French Manager of the Year three times during the 80s, Jacquet also guided Bordeax to two Coupes de France, doing the double in the 1986/87 season.

9. Carlos Alberto Parreira

Among the most decorated managers never to have played the game professionally, Carlos Alberto Parreira led Brazil to their fourth World Cup triumph in 1994.

The 90s also saw him take charge of – among others – Valencia and Fenerbache, and he won the 1995/96 Turkish Super Lig title with the latter.

8. Otmar Hitzfeld

A 1990/91 Swiss title winner at Grasshoppers, Otmar Hitzfeld went on to achieve true greatness with Germany’s two biggest clubs later in the decade.

Between 1995 and 1997, Hitzfeld guided Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles and a first ever Champions League triumph – before rounding off the decade by making Bayern Munich German champions once more.

7. Marcello Lippi

Appointed in 1994, Marcello Lippi made Juventus one of Europe’s most successful teams of the decade, winning three Serie A titles, reaching three consecutive Champions League finals – winning the competition in 1995/96 – and picking up a Coppa Italia, among other trophies.

Lippi was named the world’s best manager by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) in 1996 and 1998.

6. Arsene Wenger

Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal appointed Arsene Wenger – previously of Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus Eight – as their new manager in 1996. It didn’t take the legendary Frenchman long to emphatically silence the doubters.

Within two years, the Gunners had won their first Premier League title, doing their first of two doubles under Wenger – whose modern, scientific approach to coaching markedly transformed the English game.

5. Franz Beckenbauer

When he coached West Germany to victory at Italia ’90, Franz Beckenbauer joined an elite group of people to win the World Cup as both a player and manager.

‘Der Kaiser’ didn’t do too badly in either of his club managerial roles, either, clinching the Ligue 1 title with Marseille, and the Bundesliga title and UEFA Cup with Bayern Munich – all before 1996.

4. Louis van Gaal

In 1991, Louis van Gaal stepped into management for the first time as Ajax boss; within five years, he had a Champions League, UEFA Cup and three Eredivisie titles to his name.

It’s fair to say the famously abrasive Dutchman set his stall out in stunning style – and his success continued at Barcelona, where he won consecutive La Liga titles in 1997/98 and 1998/99.

3. Fabio Capello

From 1991 to 1997, Fabio Capello enjoyed a veritably glittering six years: the Italian icon led AC Milan to four Serie A titles – the first three in succession – and Champions League glory, before winning the La Liga title as Real Madrid manager.

Capello finished the 90s at Roma, where he laid the foundations for the club’s maiden Scudetto early in the 20th century.

2. Johann Cruyff

Great players don’t necessarily make great managers by any means – but Johan Cruyff was born to succeed on the pitch and in the technical area and, following early coaching success with Ajax in the late 80s, one of the game’s finest of all time scooped up trophy after trophy at Barcelona.

Between 1991 and 1994, Cruyff’s Barca established themselves as one of the best club sides ever by winning four straight La Liga titles and lifting the European Cup.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson

The greatest British manager of all time and arguably the greatest from any country, Sir Alex Ferguson had well and truly cemented his legend by the time the 90s were out, getting has hands on no fewer than 11 major trophies with Manchester United.

And it was fitting that the decade ended with Fergie’s United becoming the first English team ever to do the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

The highlight? Doing the treble in 1998/99 (Sheringham, Solskjaer and all that) – obviously.