The UEFA Champions League is a competition of the elite, home to the biggest names in European Football or even football at large, top coaches and players from various European leagues all confer in it to fight for prestige, to win the highly coveted UCL title.
This article is centered on the coaches who have overseen the most number of matches in UEFA Champions League history.
10. Ottmar Hitzfield – 95 matches
Ottmar Hitzfield who sits 10th on the list was a successful German manager who managed Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the UCL.
In his 95 matches, he won a total of 48, drawing 27 and losing 20, ending up with a 51% win percentage.
Hitzfield joined Dortmund in 1991, gradually making a name for himself in Europe, he would eventually guide Dortmund to winning the UCL title in 1996/97.
After a successful spell in Dortmund, he moved on to another challenge in Bavaria to take over at Bayern Munchen, he would eventually go on to lift the UCL title at Bayern in his third season. – 2000/01.
Hitzfield never knew that would be the last UCL title to his name as he never reached the final again.
9. Louis Van Gaal – 95 matches
Van Gaal is a well-known name in Europe when it comes to coaching, with names of the biggest teams across different European leagues on his CV.
With a 60% win percentage, he won a total of 57 matches, drawing 16, and losing 22.
The Dutchman’s managerial career spans across four different clubs – Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Van Gaal was most successful in the early days of his career, leading Ajax to two UCL finals and winning one which is his the only UCL title in his name to date.
Van Gaal’s tutelage saw Ajax play scintillating football which saw him attract bigger names. He would eventually go on to set a pace for the other managers who coached the clubs he managed.
8. Massimiliano Allegri – 100 Matches
Allegri is an Italian Powerhouse, he is a mainstay in Italy having gone through different clubs, AC Milan inclusive, he is currently under the payroll of the Old Lady – Juventus.
In his 100 matches, he has a winning percentage of 45%, with 45 wins, 26 draws and 29 losses.
Despite having 100 UEFA Champions League matches to his name, Allegri has never won the UCL title but he has come close twice – in the 2014/15 season and the 16/17 season, losing both finals to Spanish teams – Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
7. Jurgen Klopp – 101 Matches
Liverpool’s current manager Jurgen Klopp sits 7th on the list with a win percentage of 56% – 57 wins, 15 draws and 29 losses.
Before joining Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp coached Borussia Dortmund where he never won a UCL title but got to the final which he lost to Bayern Munchen.
In Liverpool, he has become more successful, having reached three UCL finals, he has lost two and lifted one, thus 4 finals in total with one title.
6. Mircea Lucescu – 115 Matches
Lucescu is one of the most decorated managers of all time, although not in the UEFA champions league. He has a winning percentage of 32% – 37 wins, 26 draws and 52 losses.
Lucescu is currently the manager of Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine. His side didn’t qualify for the current UCL campaign.
5. Jose Mourinho – 151 Matches
Jose Mourinho, nicknamed the special one, is one of Europe’s most decorated managers with a win rate of 53% in 151 matches.
He has won 80, drawn 36 and lost 35. Mourinho recorded successive spells at Porto, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Man United, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid before moving to AS Roma where he is currently.
He boasts of a trophy cabinet lauded with laurels.
A has won the UCL title twice, with Inter Milan in 2009/10 as well as with FC Porto in the 2003/2004, he got to the final once with Chelsea and also the semi-final three times with Real Madrid.
4. Josep Guardiola – 160 Matches
Josep Guardiola, fondly called Pep Guardiola, is one of the most respected and decorated managers in Europe.
He has 160 matches under his belt with a staggering win rate of 63%, having won 100, drawn 34 and lost 26.
He is the current coach of Manchester City FC. Before becoming City’s coach, he had coached Barcelona and Bayern Munchen.
Pep has won the UCL title twice with Barcelona, he hasn’t won it since the 2010/11 season but he has come close on many occasions – three semi-finals with Bayern Munchen as well as one semi-finals and two finals with City.
3. Arsene Wenger – 188 Matches
Wenger is the former coach of Arsenal FC, he had also coached Monaco – guiding them to a semi-final finish.
He is currently the director of Development for World Football governing body – FIFA.
Arsene Wenger saw a total of 188 matches in the UCL, recording a 47% winning percentage – 88 wins, 44 draws and 56 losses.
He only got to the final once with Arsenal, he never won the UEFA Champions League title.
2. Sir Alex Ferguson – 190 Matches.
Alex Ferguson is second on the list of managers with the most UEFA Champions League matches in history.
Manchester United’s most successful manager with a winning rate of 54% in the UCL, with 190 matches to his name – 105 wins, 50 draws and 39 losses.
He won the competition twice with Man United as well as finishing in the final twice. He is currently a board member at Manchester United.
Finally, we have gotten to the manager with the most UCL matches in UCL history. Drum rolls…
1. Don Carlo Ancelotti – 191 matches
Carlo Ancelotti tops the list and he is the manager with the most UCL titles, he has a total of four UEFA Champions League titles, winning two with Real Madrid and two with AC Milan.
The Italian tactician has a winning record of 56%, he has 108 wins, 41 draws and 42 losses.
He is a well decorated manager who recorded successful stints at AC Milan, Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus, Napoli, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
He is the current manager of European Royalty – Real Madrid.
