It’s one of the great debates in football that takes place in pubs up and down the country every weekend. Who is the greatest manager that the game has ever seen?
It’s a difficult question to answer. Is greatness based on the number of trophies won or the impact they had on the sport? Does the strength of their opposition at the time matter? Do they have to be a revolutionary tactician to be considered?
Several managers in the modern era can make a genuine claim to the title, including Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson and current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
But are they greater than the likes of Arrigo Sacchi, Bill Shankly and Johan Cruyff? It’s a subjective question that may be impossible to answer, but FourFourTwo have attempted to do just that.
Last year, they ranked the top 50 managers in the history of football in a list that is likely to spark fierce debate among fans.
Despite leading City to a fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, Guardiola can only make fifth place on the list.
The Catalan has won numerous trophies at the Etihad, including the club’s first Champions League title, having also experienced huge success at Bayern Munich and boyhood club Barcelona – whom he guided to two European Cups during his time as head coach.
Fourth on the list is legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, who transformed the Merseyside club from a struggling side competing in the second tier of English football to one of the strongest teams in Europe.
He won three league titles and the UEFA Cup as manager, laying the foundations for successors Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan to take the club to even greater heights.
Third in the ranking is legendary Dutch player and manager Johan Cruyff, who transformed Barcelona into the hugely successful club it is today.
Cruyff won four league titles and the club’s first European Cup by prioritising technique over physicality, introducing a style of play that remains sacred across all age groups at the club.
Second on the list is former Ajax and Netherlands boss Rinus Michels, who paved the way for the likes of Cruyff and Guardiola with his ‘total football’ style of play.
Sir Alex Ferguson (Image: Getty)
He guided Ajax to four Eredivisie titles and a European Cup before taking charge of the Netherlands, who were narrowly beaten by hosts West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final.
And yes, you guessed it, at number one on the list is former United manager Ferguson.
After breaking the Old Firm duopoly with Aberdeen, who went on to win three league titles and the Cup Winners’ Cup, Ferguson moved south to England to take charge of United.
After a shaky start, Ferguson managed to win only an FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in his first seven years with the Red Devils.
But he would later go on to win 13 Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two Champions Leagues between 1993 and 2013 – transforming United into the biggest club in the world during his time at Old Trafford.
He guided Ajax to four Eredivisie titles and a European Cup before taking charge of the Netherlands, who were narrowly beaten by hosts West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final.
And yes, you guessed it, at number one on the list is former United manager Ferguson.
After breaking the Old Firm duopoly with Aberdeen, who went on to win three league titles and the Cup Winners’ Cup, Ferguson moved south to England to take charge of United.
After a shaky start, Ferguson managed to win only an FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in his first seven years with the Red Devils.
But he would later go on to win 13 Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two Champions Leagues between 1993 and 2013 – transforming United into the biggest club in the world during his time at Old Trafford.
FourFourTwo’s greatest 50 managers
50 to 41: George Graham, Aime Jacquet, Luis Aragones, Bobby Robson, Bill Struth, Tele Santana, Diego Simeone, Albert Batteux, Rafael Benitez, Jill Ellis
40 to 31: Luiz Felipe Scolari, Udo Lattek, Guus Hiddink, Zinedine Zidane, Bill Nicholson, Victor Maslov, Kenny Dalglish, Jupp Heynckes, Helmut Schon
30 to 21: Jock Stein, Jurgen Klopp, Jose Villalonga, Mario Zagallo, Alf Ramsey, Herbert Chapman, Fabio Capello, Arsene Wenger, Bob Paisley, Bela Guttmann
20 to 11: Louis van Gaal, Nereo Rocco, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Carlo Ancelotti, Miguel Munoz, Vicente del Bosque, Giovanni Trapattoni, Marcelo Lippi, Jose Mourinho, Brian Clough
10 to 1: Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ernst Happel, Helenio Herrera, Matt Busby, Arrigo Sacchi, Pep Guardiola, Bill Shankly, Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels, Alex Ferguson
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