In football, a good manager or head coach can be crucial to a team’s success on the pitch. They can turn a mediocre team into an all-conquering outfit that can dominate at home and abroad.
However, which manager has been the most successful in the history of the beautiful game when it comes to winning trophies?
Sir Alex Ferguson (50 trophies won with St. Mirren, Aberdeen and Manchester United)
The legendary Scottish boss is top of the pile of managers when it comes to winning trophies. Ferguson began his managerial journey at St. Mirren, where he won his first piece of silverware, the Scottish First Division title in 1976/77.
As his reputation grew, so did his trophy haul. At his next club, Aberdeen, Ferguson broke the stranglehold of the old firm of Celtic and Rangers by winning the Scottish top-flight title on three occasions in 1980, 1984 and 1985, among several other trophies.
The club also won their only European trophies to date under Ferguson, as the Dons lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup and European Super Cup in 1983. In all, he won 11 trophies with Aberdeen before moving on.
It was in his next managerial role that the Scottish boss became a legend, as in November 1986, he joined Manchester United. Despite struggling in his early days at Old Trafford, Ferguson went on to enjoy a trophy-laden career with the Red Devils that spanned a quarter of a century.
That trophy collection included winning the Premier League title on 13 occasions and the prestigious Champions League twice in 1999 and 2008. Ferguson won 38 trophies with the men from Manchester before retiring from the game in 2013. The Red Devils have failed to be crowned English champions since his exit.
Pep Guardiola (39 trophies won with Barcelona B, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City)
The Basque boss is now regarded as one of the best in the history of the game, although he does have some way to go before he matches Sir Alex Ferguson’s trophy collection.
The former Barcelona midfielder started his coaching career with the Blaugrana’s B team, winning the Tercera Division in 2008. This triumph led him to an unexpected promotion to the role of first-team head coach.
Guardiola was supremely successful in the position, winning La Liga three times and the Champions League on two occasions, amongst other trophies in his four years in charge. In total, he helped the Catalan giants to 14 trophies in his relatively short time with the club.
After a year sabbatical, his next stop was German giants Bayern Munich, where once again, he was highly successful, winning the Bundesliga on three occasions and the DFB Pokal twice.
His failure to win the Champions League with the Bavarians somewhat overshadowed his stay in Munich despite winning seven trophies.
In 2016, Guardiola joined Manchester City, who he turned into a winning machine. His trophy haul with the Citizens includes six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and also the clubs first ever Champions League title, achieved in 2023.
As of writing this, Guardiola is still in his position as the Citizens’ head coach and has won an impressive 17 trophies during his time in Manchester.
Mircea Lucescu (38 trophies won with Corvinul Hunedoara, Dinamo Bucuresti, Brescia, Rapid Bucuresti, Galatasaray, Besiktas, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Dynamo Kiev)
The Romanian is a legend from his time managing in eastern European football. Having won league titles in his homeland with both Dinamo and Rapid Bucuresti, he also claimed three top-flight titles in Turkey with Galatasaray and Besiktas.
However, arguably, the role he will be best remembered for will be at Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, where he helped the club dominate the domestic game.
Between 2005 and 2014, they claimed the Ukrainian Premier League title on eight occasions, as well as the UEFA Cup in 2009. Lucescu won 22 trophies with Shakhtar in total.
After winning the Russian Super Cup with Zenit, he joined Dynamo Kiev, where he did the domestic double in season 2020/21 while also winning the Super Cup in 2020.
In August 2024, Lucescu was appointed the head coach of his national team for the second time, having previously held the role 38 years prior.
Jock Stein (38 trophies won with Dunfermline Athletic, Hibernian, Celtic and Scotland)
Like most of the managers on this list, Jock Stein is a managerial legend for his achievements in the beautiful game. Stein’s trophy haul began at his first club, Dunfermline Athletic, where, among other trophies, he won the Scottish Cup in 1961.
His time at Hibernian was slightly shorter, but he still managed to guide the club from the capital to the Summer Cup in 1964.
After a short stint as Scotland boss, Stein made the move that would define his career, as in 1965 he joined Glasgow giants, Celtic.
It was at Celtic that Stein made history. In season 1966/67, the Hoops became the first British team to win the European Cup, beating Italian giants Inter 2-1 in the final in Lisbon.
That may have been Stein’s crowning achievement with the Hoops, but he also won the Scottish top-flight title on ten occasions with the Bhoys, as well as the Scottish Cup eight times, among other trophies in his 13-year tenure as the club’s head coach.
After a very short spell at English First Division club Leeds United in 1978, Stein returned as Scotland boss and stayed in the job until 1985. During his tenure, he guided his national team to the Rous Cup, a short-lived competition held between Scotland, arch-rivals England, and typically a guest South American team.
Valeriy Lobanovskyi (35 trophies won with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Dynamo Kyiv and Kuwait)
Lobanovskyi is regarded as one of the greatest managers the game has ever produced. His most notable work took place at Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv, where he won an incredible 34 of his 36 trophies.
He turned the club from the country’s capital into a team capable of challenging at home and in European competition.
Included in that trophy haul were eight Soviet Top League titles and five Ukrainian National titles, the last of which was in 2001. Lobanovskyi also guided Dynamo to the European Cup Winners’ Cup on two occasions, in 1975 and 1986.
From July 1994 until December 1996, the Ukrainian legend also managed the Kuwait national team, who he guided to the Gulf Cup of Nations in 1996.
Lobanovskyi ended his managerial career with a spell as the Ukraine national team boss from March 2000 until November 2001.