Manager with most Champions League titles, wins, trophies as coach in UEFA tournament history

Feargal Brennan

Manager with most Champions League titles, wins, trophies as coach in UEFA tournament history image

The Champions League title is the pinnacle of each European season, with heavyweight teams and managers fighting it out for the famous trophy.

Real Madrid have dominated the competition throughout its history, as its predecessor as the European Cup, and also since the competition's format change 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 historical dominance of the competition.

The list of title-winning managers includes some of most iconic coaches in football, such as Carlo Ancelotti, Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane.

Ancelotti got another chance to win it in 2024 and his Real Madrid players came through some first-half struggles to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley.

The Sporting News looks down the record books here.

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Manager with the most Champions League trophies

Carlo Ancelotti extended his record as the most successful coach in the history of the competition thanks to Madrid's hard-fought win over Dortmund in London.

Real's win over Liverpool in Paris in 2022 secured Ancelotti his fourth Champions League title as a manager, and a second with Real Madrid. Those numbers are now five and three — no other coach has won more than three in their entire career.

The veteran Italian won his first title in 2003, at AC Milan, before securing revenge over Liverpool in the 2007 final, after losing out in the 'Miracle of Istanbul' in 2005.

Ancelotti's predecessor in Madrid, Zinedine Zidane, is currently the joint most successful Champions League coach with one team, with three wins, alongside Don Carlo and former Liverpool boss Bob Paisley.

Pep Guardiola moved on to three overall by taking Manchester City to the trophy in 2023. His team defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the 2023 final in Istanbul. 

European Cup/Champions League winning managers
ManagersNo. of title winsClubsYears won
Carlo Ancelotti5AC Milan, Real Madrid2003, 2007, 2014, 2022, 2024
Pep Guardiola3Barcelona, Manchester City2009, 2011, 2023
Bob Paisley3Liverpool1977, 1978, 1981
Zinedine Zidane3Real Madrid2016, 2017, 2018
Jose Villalonga2Real Madrid1956, 1957
Luis Carniglia2Real Madrid1958, 1959
Bella Guttmann2Benfica1961, 1962
Helenio Herrera2Inter Milan1964, 1965
Miguel Munoz2Real Madrid1960, 1966
Nereo Rocco2AC Milan1963, 1969
Stefan Kovacs2Ajax1972, 1973
Dettmar Cramer2Bayern Munich1975, 1976
Brian Clough2Nottingham Forest1979, 1980
Ernst Happel2Feyenoord, Hamburg1970, 1983
Arrigo Sacchi2AC Milan1989, 1990
Ottmar Hitzfeld2Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich1997, 2001
Vicente del Bosque2Real Madrid2000. 2002
Sir Alex Ferguson2Manchester United1999, 2008
Jose Mourinho2Porto, Inter Milan2004, 2010
Jupp Heynckes2Real Madrid, Bayern Munich1998, 2013

Manager with the most Champions League match wins

Ancelotti also leads the list of managers with the most Champions League match wins, with his return to Madrid in 2021 taking him over the 100-win mark. Again, Ferguson and Guardiola are close behind — indeed, they are the only three to have won more than 100 matches.

 
ManagerClub(s)Champions League wins
Carlo AncelottiParma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich, Napoli116
Pep GuardiolaBarcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City109
Sir Alex FergusonManchester United102
Arsene WengerArsenal82
Jose MourinhoPorto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham77
Louis van GaalAjax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United57
Jurgen KloppBorussia Dortmund, Liverpool56
Rafa BenitezValencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli, Real Madrid53
Diego SimeoneAtletico Madrid50

Feargal Brennan

Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.