You already know most of the best managers in the world: they’re the ones that have hands gripped around silver handles this time of year. But that doesn’t tell the whole truth, does it?
Arsene Wenger once famously opined that, “You’re loved when you’re born, you’re loved when you die – and in between you have to manage.” It’s a job in which you’re battered by the press, by fans and by defeat: many managers will win fewer games than they’ll ever draw or lose, after all. But sometimes, the best managers are those who simply… get on by.
So here’s our list of the best in the world right now, from the greats of Guardiola to the midtables and the Moyes. Who gets your vote?
The 50 best managers in the world: 50. Christian Streich
Into his 13th season in charge of Freiburg, Streich has, remarkably, only ever managed the German side – and this will be his last. Relegation in 2014/15 could’ve marked the end of his time in charge, but immediately winning 2.Bundesliga highlighted his quality to bounce straight back to the top tier.
Since then, Freiburg have been slowly progressing, finishing sixth and fifth in recent seasons. Reaching the final of the 2022 DFB-Pokal, which they lost on penalties to RB Leipzig, stands out on the 58-year-old’s CV, too.
49. Roberto Martinez
Initially something of a managerial trailblazer in 2000s English football, Martinez’s possession-based style of play revitalised Swansea City, before he moved to Wigan and hoisted up the FA Cup. After three years at Everton, he turned to the international game, tasked with guiding Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ to success.
A third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup and the top spot in the FIFA rankings were the high points of his six-year spell with the Red Devils, as his time ended with a group stage exit in the 2022 World Cup. The Spaniard is now preparing for his fourth major international tournament after landing the Portuguese national team job last year.
48. Stefano Pioli
Ralf Rangnick was lined up for the Milan post instead while Stefano Pioli held the fort. What Pioli achieved – in his unbeaten run that gave him the full-time job, followed by Champions League qualification and a Scudetto later on – is the best anyone has done at I Rossoneri for quite some time.
He leaves not at his peak but with Milan fans yearning for a change, after watching Inter lift the Scudetto against them. But Pioli will be back, for sure – and hopefully has another remarkable story like this in him.
47. Kieran McKenna
The 37-year-old is quite possibly the next big thing in English football. After seeing his playing career at Tottenham cut short by injury McKenna moved into coaching, initially with Spurs U18s before moving to Manchester United, working his way up through the youth set-up to the senior side.
Ipswich Town’s decision to take a chance on a 35-year-old McKenna in December 2021 was an inspired decision as he earned promotion from League One in his first full season at Portman Road before this year’s magnificent Championship season that has seen the Tractor Boys return to the Premier League, all done without big names and on a limited budget. Ipswich will be braced for interest from all quarters this summer.
46. Frank Schmidt
When Frank Schmidt took charge of Heidenheim in 2007, they had just become an independent club and were sat in the fourth tier of German football. Fast forward 17 years, and Heidenheim are competing in the Bundesliga for the first time in their history – and they’re going to stay up comfortably. What a job.
Currently the longest serving manager in German football, Schmidt has overseen three league titles – the most recent of which came last season in 2.Bundesliga in dramatic fashion, with two stoppage time goals against Jahn Regensburg moving them from play-off bound third to the top of the table.
45. Sergio Conceicao
Sergio Conceicao took the Porto job in 2017 following £100 milion of sales to satisfy Financial Fair Play. Conceicao grabbed the nettle – and beat Benfica to the title.
A reliability in Portuguese football, the Dragons have won three titles, every two years, under their current manager – all while playing a front-footed style of play amid plenty more sales, since Portuguese football is built on quicksand. They’re due another title this season, according to schedule.
44. Mauricio Pochettino
A managerial A-lister, Pochettino went back to school after his career as an Argentina international came to an end, before kicking off his coaching career at Espanyol. Tottenham came calling after an eye-catching spell at Southampton and over a five-year period he would lead Spurs to a second-place finish and a Champions League final appearance.
He finally got his hands on silverware during his 18-month stint at Paris Saint-Germain and now finds himself with the near-impossible job of trying to make order out of the chaos at Chelsea. While the Blues are heading for a modestly improved campaign under Poch this time out, speculation over the owners’ itchy trigger finger remains.
43. Gareth Southgate
The cliches are bedded in. Gareth Southgate is pragmatic, cautious and sometimes misses the obvious but just because he sometimes drops the ball, we often forget how good he is.
And that’s being the most successful England manager in over half a century – and plenty of tried, plenty with talented players, too. Tactically, Southgate may lack but his man management is exemplary and his in-game nous has taken England to a semi-final and final in the last two tournaments. In Qatar, dare we say it, England were… free-flowing. Maybe he is evolving?
42. Peter Bosz
Peter Bosz has been all over Europe now, to mixed acclaim, managing Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and most recently Lyon. While he has a habit of picking difficult gigs (for one reason or another), he’s found a stable base at PSV and got them ticking.
Set for a title against Arne Slot’s Feyenoord isn’t to be sniffed at either – even if it is in the absence of Bosz’s former employers Ajax, who’ve spent some of the season languishing in the relegation zone. What an odd year it’s been in the Netherlands.
41. Luciano Spalletti
The 65-year-old will be hoping he has given the Italy side their mojo back as his first international post sees him lead the Azzurri at Euro 2024, after they failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup under Roberto Mancini.
This is the 12th stop of the veteran coach’s managerial career which has seen him take charge of some of Italy’s biggest clubs. A tactician and a motivator, Spalletti took over the Italy national team with his stock at an all-time high following his superb Serie A title win with Napoli in 2022/23.
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