# Who is the greatest football manager of all time?

> Ferguson, Guardiola, Clough, Cruyff — which football manager has had the greatest impact on the beautiful game?

*By YPB Team · Published May 23, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-greatest-football-manager-of-all-time*

---

## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Sir Alex Ferguson**
   Manchester United's legendary Scot who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues across a 27-year reign at Old Trafford.
2. **Pep Guardiola**
   The tactical visionary who revolutionised possession football at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, winning over 40 trophies.
3. **Johan Cruyff**
   Transformed FC Barcelona into a global powerhouse as manager, laying the foundations for their tiki-taka philosophy with four La Liga titles.
4. **Bill Shankly**
   Transformed Liverpool from a second-tier club into a European power with three First Division titles and two FA Cups in his 15-year tenure.
5. **Bob Paisley**
   The most decorated manager in English football history, winning six league titles and three European Cups in nine seasons at Liverpool.
6. **Arrigo Sacchi**
   Transformed AC Milan into the world's dominant club in the late 1980s with a revolutionary high-pressing, zonal defensive system.
7. **Carlo Ancelotti**
   The only manager to win the Champions League four times, succeeding at AC Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Everton.
8. **José Mourinho**
   The 'Special One' who won league titles in four different countries and three Champions Leagues with Porto, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid.
9. **Brian Clough**
   Led unfashionable Nottingham Forest to back-to-back European Cup titles in 1979 and 1980, achieving one of football's most remarkable feats.
10. **Jock Stein**
   Led Celtic to become the first British club to win the European Cup in 1967 with a squad of players born within 30 miles of Glasgow.
11. **Vicente del Bosque**
   Led Spain to unprecedented back-to-back European Championship and World Cup triumphs between 2008 and 2012.
12. **Didier Deschamps**
   Managed France to World Cup victory in 2018 and EURO 2024, the first manager to win the World Cup as both captain and coach.
13. **Marcello Lippi**
   Led Italy to the 2006 FIFA World Cup title and Juventus to five consecutive Serie A titles in the 1990s.

Tags: football, legends, all-time, managers