# Who is the best manager in Benfica history?

> Benfica's rich managerial history includes European Cup winners, homegrown visionaries and coaching legends who left their mark on Portuguese football. Cast your vote!

*By YPB Team · Published May 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-manager-in-benfica-history*

---

## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Béla Guttmann** — score 1000/1000
   Hungarian genius who led Benfica to back-to-back European Cup victories in 1961 and 1962, the peak of the club's continental history.
2. **John Toshack** — score 600/1000
   Welsh coach who briefly managed Benfica and brought tactical ideas from his successful work in Spain to the Portuguese game.
3. **José Mourinho** — score 429/1000
   Managed Benfica very briefly in 2000 before being dismissed after just nine matches — one of football's most infamous short-lived tenures.
4. **Roger Schmidt** — score 333/1000
   German coach who won the 2021–22 Primeira Liga title, bringing high-intensity gegenpressing football to the Estádio da Luz.
5. **Sven-Göran Eriksson** — score 306/1000
   Swedish coach who managed Benfica in the early 1980s before his fame in Italy, winning the Portuguese title and reaching a Cup Winners' Cup final.
6. **Jorge Jesus** — score 214/1000
   Won multiple league titles across two stints, building exciting attacking teams and making Benfica a genuine European threat.
7. **Humberto Coelho** — score 214/1000
   Club legend who managed Benfica at a critical juncture in the 1990s after a celebrated playing career at the Estádio da Luz.
8. **Graeme Souness** — score 1/1000
   Scottish legend who managed Benfica in 1997 and left an impression on the club despite a difficult relationship with the Portuguese game.

Tags: football, legends, portugal, primeira liga, managers