From legends who defined eras to Champions League winners who shocked Europe, Chelsea FC has been guided by some of the game's most brilliant managerial minds. Which manager do you think made the greatest impact at Stamford Bridge?
1Carlo AncelottiLed Chelsea to their first league and FA Cup Double in 2010, overseeing a record-breaking 103-goal Premier League season.1000pts
2José MourinhoChelsea's greatest manager, winning three Premier League titles and eight major trophies across two spells (2004-07, 2013-15) that defined an era.699pts
3Guus HiddinkDutch troubleshooter who won the 2009 FA Cup in an unbeaten interim spell and returned in 2015-16 to steady the club after Mourinho's exit.498pts
4Claudio RanieriThe popular Italian who laid the technical groundwork for Chelsea's future success in the early Abramovich era from 2000-2004.498pts
5Tommy DochertyCharismatic Scot who built a young, swaggering side in the 1960s, winning the 1965 League Cup and reaching the 1967 FA Cup final.440pts
6Antonio ConteThe fiery Italian who won the 2016-17 Premier League title and popularized the back-three formation in England with surgical efficiency.440pts
7Ruud GullitDutch player-manager whose 'sexy football' won the 1997 FA Cup, Chelsea's first major trophy for 26 years and the first by a foreign Premier League boss.440pts
8Gianluca VialliChelsea's most decorated manager of the pre-Abramovich era, winning the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.440pts
9Frank LampardThe club legend who returned as manager in 2019, finishing fourth and reaching the FA Cup final in his first season while developing a generation of academy stars.440pts
10Ted DrakeFormer Arsenal striker who rebuilt Chelsea in the 1950s and led 'Drake's Ducklings' to the club's first league championship in 1954-55.372pts
11Maurizio SarriItalian coach whose single 2018-19 season brought the Europa League title, a third-place finish and a League Cup final appearance.372pts
12Dave SextonChelsea's legendary 1960s-70s manager who delivered the club's first FA Cup in 1970 and a Cup Winners' Cup triumph over Real Madrid in 1971.372pts
13Thomas TuchelThe German manager who transformed Chelsea into European champions in 2021, winning the Champions League within months of arrival.372pts
14Roberto Di MatteoThe caretaker who guided Chelsea to their historic first Champions League title in 2012, defeating Bayern Munich on penalties.293pts
15Glenn HoddlePlayer-manager from 1993 to 1996 who modernised Chelsea, reached the 1994 FA Cup final and the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, and signed Ruud Gullit.200pts
16Avram GrantIsraeli successor to Mourinho who took Chelsea to their first Champions League final in 2008, losing on penalties to Manchester United in Moscow.0pts
17Enzo MarescaThe Italian coach who won the 2025 Conference League and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, beating PSG 3-0 in the final, before leaving in January 2026.0pts
18Rafael BenítezInterim manager who overcame a hostile reception in 2012-13 to win the Europa League and secure Champions League qualification with a third-place finish.0pts
Photo credits
- Carlo Ancelotti — Ricardo Stuckert, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Guus Hiddink — Степиньш Ольга, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tommy Docherty — @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Antonio Conte — Clément Bucco-Lechat, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ruud Gullit — Barcex, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ted Drake — Rossem, Wim van / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Maurizio Sarri — Анна Нэсси, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Thomas Tuchel — Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Glenn Hoddle — Doha Stadium Plus Qatar, CC BY 2.0
- Avram Grant — Medija centar Beograd, CC BY 3.0
- Rafael Benítez — Дмитрий Журавель, CC BY-SA 3.0
