The Champions League title is the pinnacle of every European season, with heavyweight teams and managers battling it out for the famous trophy.
Real Madrid have dominated the competition throughout its history, like its predecessor the European Cup, and also since the competition’s format changed to the Champions League in 1992.
Seven managers have won a European Cup or Champions League title with Los Blancos, as part of the club’s historic dominance of the competition.
The list of title-winning managers includes some of football’s most iconic coaches, such as Carlo Ancelotti, Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane.
Ancelotti had another chance to win it in 2024 and his Real Madrid players struggled in the first half to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley.
The Sporting News looks through the record books here.
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Coach with the most Champions League trophies
Carlo Ancelotti extended his record as the most successful manager in the competition’s history with Madrid’s hard-fought victory over Dortmund in London.
Real’s victory over Liverpool in Paris in 2022 secured Ancelotti his fourth Champions League title as manager and a second with Real Madrid. Those numbers are now five and three – no other manager has won more than three in his entire career.
The Italian veteran won his first title in 2003, at AC Milan, before taking revenge against Liverpool in the 2007 final, having lost in the “Miracle of Istanbul” in 2005.
🔴⚫️ 2007 Final: the other time Milan met Liverpool in UEFA competition 🏆@AC Milan | #UCL pic.twitter.com/9w3hkENJAB
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 15, 2021
Ancelotti’s predecessor at Madrid, Zinedine Zidane, is currently the most successful single-team Champions League manager, with three wins, alongside Don Carlo and former Liverpool boss Bob Paisley.
Pep Guardiola moved up to third place overall by taking Manchester City to the trophy in 2023. His team beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the 2023 final in Istanbul.
Managers | No. titles won | Clubs | Years gained |
Carlo Ancelotti | 5 | AC Milan, Real Madrid | 2003, 2007, 2014, 2022, 2024 |
Pep Guardiola | 3 | Barcelona, Manchester City | 2009, 2011, 2023 |
Bob Paisley | 3 | Liverpool | 1977, 1978, 1981 |
Zinedine Zidane | 3 | real Madrid | 2016, 2017, 2018 |
Jose Villalonga | 2 | real Madrid | 1956, 1957 |
Luis Carniglia | 2 | real Madrid | 1958, 1959 |
Bella Guttmann | 2 | Benfica | 1961, 1962 |
Helene Herrera | 2 | Inter Milan | 1964, 1965 |
Miguel Munoz | 2 | real Madrid | 1960, 1966 |
Nereo Rocco | 2 | AC Milan | 1963, 1969 |
Stefan Kovacs | 2 | Ajax | 1972, 1973 |
Dettmar Cramer | 2 | Bayern Munich | 1975, 1976 |
Brian Clough | 2 | Nottingham Forest | 1979, 1980 |
Ernst Happel | 2 | Feyenoord, Hamburg | 1970, 1983 |
Arrigo Sacchi | 2 | AC Milan | 1989, 1990 |
Ottmar Hitzfeld | 2 | Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich | 1997, 2001 |
Vicente del Bosque | 2 | real Madrid | 2000. 2002 |
Sir Alex Ferguson | 2 | Manchester United | 1999, 2008 |
Jose Mourinho | 2 | Porto, Inter Milan | 2004, 2010 |
Jupp Heynckes | 2 | Real Madrid, Bayern Munich | 1998, 2013 |
Coach with the most Champions League match victories
Ancelotti also tops the list of managers with the most Champions League wins, with his return to Madrid in 2021 allowing him to surpass the 100 win mark. Once again, Ferguson and Guardiola are just behind: in fact, they are the only three to have won more than 100 matches.
Director | Club(s) | Champions League victories |
Carlo Ancelotti | Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich, Naples | 116 |
Pep Guardiola | Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City | 109 |
Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 102 |
Arsène Wenger | Arsenal | 82 |
Jose Mourinho | Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham | 77 |
Louis van Gaal | Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United | 57 |
Jurgen Klopp | Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool | 56 |
Rafa Bénitez | Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Naples, Real Madrid | 53 |
Diego Simeone | Atletico Madrid | 50 |
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