The best football managers are arguably silverware-winning managers who boast coveted shelves and locker rooms festooned with trophies. However, there are a few exceptions for fast-rising managers who are rewriting the narrative in football management.
Here, Futballnews takes a look at the top ten best football managers in 2024. Let’s dive in starting from number 10:
10. Edin Terzic
Games managed: 128
Wins :74
Draw: 28
Lose: 29
Win% 58.59
Only a few football analysts and fans believed Borussia Dortmund could progress to the 2024 UEFA Champions League final. Terzic, who progressed from an interim Dortmund manager in 2020 to a full manager in 2022, led Dortmund to their first UEFA Champions League final in 11 years. Despite a not-so-stellar domestic campaign and Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, Terzic, has established himself as one of the top managers in Europe to be reckoned with.
9. Lionel Scaloni
Games managed: 78
Wins: 65
Draw: 15
Lose: 17
Win%: 70.51
Like Edin Terzic, Lionel Scaloni is among the few managers who have blazed a trail on first-team management, recording instant impact from the onset of their managerial career. The ex-Argentina international graduated from Argentina U20 head coach to Argentina senior national team coach in 2018.
Scaloni would lead Argentina to their third Men’s FIFA World Cup trophy in 2022 in Qatar. The 46-year-old saw off the competition from one of the best football managers in Europe – Didier Deschamps – at the final to win the most coveted national team trophy.
8. Luciano Spalleti
Games managed: 1032
Wins: 533
Draw: 252
Lose: 247
Win%: 51.65
Former Napoli and now Italy national team head coach, Luciano Spalletti, also makes our list of the best football managers in 2024. Spalleti proved his mettle in the dugout in 2022 when he led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 30 years.
The former Roma manager, currently in charge of Italy national team, is regarded as one of the best managers in the world. He has won 4 domestic titles in Russia as a manager and 4 domestic titles in Italy – three with Roma and one with Napoli.
7. Luis Enrique
Games managed: 487
Wins: 289
Draw: 104
Lose: 94
Win%: 59.34
Former Barcelona, Spain and now PSG manager Luis Enrique also makes our list. Despite the 2024 Champions League semi-final deadlock against Edin Terzic’s Borussia Dortmund, Enrique boasts an intimidating managerial profile cutting across international and club football.
As a manager, Enrique reached the knockout of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Spain and finished as runners-up in the 2021 Nations League. He won 6 domestic titles with Barcelona, including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World. He has also won three domestic titles with PSG in his one year at the club.
6. Thiago Motta
Games managed: 126
Wins: 48
Draw: 33
Lose: 45
Win%: 38.10
Although he has yet to win his first silverware, Motta has established himself as a gem of a football manager. His 2023-24 campaign with Serie A underdogs Bologna is a clear testament to the class of manager he is.
The former Italy international led the charge as Bologna defied the odds to qualify for the 2025 Champions League, finishing 5th on the table with 68 points – a point behind Atalanta. Motta won Serie A manager of the month three times in the campaign and has landed a bigger role with Juventus following the impressive campaign.
5. Zinedine Zidane
Games managed: 320
Wins: 200
Draw: 70
Lose: 50
Win%: 62.50
Zidane has yet to land a new role since he left Real Madrid on a sabbatical in 2021. However, he is still regarded as one of the best managers after his heroics with the Los Blancos. The French tactician won 2 La Liga titles with Real Madrid He also won the Champions League as assistant manager in 2013-14 before going on to win it back-to-back-to-back as full manager. He also added two UEFA Super Cups, two FIFA Club World Cups, and two Supercopa de Espana to his shelf. All these trophies were won in his first role as first-team manager.
4. Unai Emery
Games managed: 1009
Wins: 538
Draw: 219
Lose: 252
Win%: 53.32
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery also makes our list of best managers in 2024. Emery is a tactician par excellence, whose knowledge of the game knows no bounds.
Out of Sevilla’s six Europa League titles, three were won by Unai Emery. The Spanish tactician became the first manager to win the coveted European trophy three times in a row in 2014, 2015, and 2016. At Arsenal, he finished as runners-up in the competition and went to Villareal and won it in 2021. At Aston Villa, the 52-year-old has recorded remarkable success as well, leading the team to the last four of the 2024 UEFA Conference League and qualifying for the 2025 Champions League by finishing 4th in the 2023-24 Premier League table.
3. Xabi Alonso
Games managed: 189
Wins: 101
Draw: 42
Lose: 46
Win%: 53.44
Alonso is arguably one of the best managers in 2024. The former Liverpool and Bayern Munich player-turned-manager announced himself to the world by leading Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title.
Moreover, the 42-year-old also won the DFB-Pokal with the Die Werkself and finished as runners-up in the 2024 Europa League. His most outstanding performance was not only acing the German Championship but doing so with an unbeaten record.
2. Carlo Ancelotti
Games managed: 1343
Wins: 795
Draw: 302
Lose: 246
Win%: 59.20
Carlo Ancelotti, 65, is a legendary manager whose legacies in the game may not be matched. The Italian tactician has won European Cups as a manager with Juventus, AC Milan, and Real Madrid. He has also won domestic titles with Chelsea in the Premier League, the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and the Serie A with AC Milan.
After leading Real Madrid to 2024 UEFA Champions League triumph, Ancelotti has now won 5 Champions League titles – 2 with AC Milan and 3 with Real Madrid. He has also won multiple UEFA Super Cups and FIFA Club World Cups.
- Pep Guardiola
- Games managed: 922
- Wins: 671
- Draw: 143
- Lose: 108
- Win%: 72.78
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is arguably the best football manager in the world. Guardiola was thrust into the spotlight in 2008 when he defied the odds to lead Barcelona to a treble of Champions League, La Liga title, and Copa Del Rey in his first season as the team’s manager.
He would go ahead to win 10 domestic titles with the La Liga giants, including 2 UEFA Super Cups and 2 FIFA Club World Cups before leaving for Bayer Munich in 2013. At Bayern Munich, Pep won 7 domestic titles in his three years with the club before joining Manchester City in 2016. At Manchester City, Guardiola won his second treble and became the first Premier League manager to win the English top flight four times in a row after his 2023-24 triumph. He has won 14 domestic titles with the club, including one UEFA Super Cup, one Champions League, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
