You already know the best managers in the world. They're the ones that have hands gripped around silver handles at the end of every season.
Except… that doesn't tell the full story. 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 who should be the best managers in the world?
How FourFourTwo's expert panel decided on the best managers in the world
Our expert panel, comprised of football writers on the team, were asked to send their list of the best managers in the world right now. There were no stipulations as to the level of each manager, either: anyone was eligible.
We were looking for their tactical ability, of course, but also man management and their achievements at their club – whatever level the club. Fighting relegation on a shoestring is as important as winning a title with bucketloads of money… in this list at least.
When our writers sent over the lists, we gave a score to each manager, marking them more points the higher up they were rated. Our top-rated manager finished first with 179 points, just eight ahead the second-placed boss.
And this is what we came up with, searching across the globe for a top 50. Did we get it right?
50. Manuel Pellegrini
Age: 71
Club: Real Betis
Nationality: Chilean
The indefatigable Manuel Pellegrini is showing no signs of winding his career down. Now 71, the Chilean has a long and illustrious CV, notably winning the Premier League with Manchester City and the Copa del Rey with current club Real Betis.
Pellegrini has been remarkably consistent, avoiding failure at almost every club in his long career and instilling organisation and discipline in his players. While he is unlikely to manage another of Europe’s elite clubs, he remains a top coach and will look to take Betis deep into the Conference League this season.
49. Gary O'Neil
Age: 41
Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nationality: English
After showing real promise in a brief spell with Bournemouth, before being cast aside – unfairly, in many people’s eyes – at the end of the 2022-23 season, Gary O’Neil made the switch to Wolves.
He has since shown real tactical acumen with the Midlands club, taking them to a safe mid-table finish last season when many expected them to struggle following a difficult transfer window. Still only 41, O’Neil will hope to continue proving his doubters wrong and establish himself as a top Premier League manager.
48. Kieran McKenna
Age: 38
Club: Ipswich Town
Nationality: Northern Irish
Kieran McKenna was heavily linked with a summer exit after guiding Ipswich to successive promotions from League One to the Premier League. The Northern Irishman achieved it in style, too, instilling an aesthetically-pleasing brand of football that has delighted fans at Portman Road.
Having previously worked as a youth coach at Manchester United and Tottenham, it is inevitable that McKenna’s next move is the subject of constant speculation. At 38, he certainly has the potential to be a world-class coach.
47. Oliver Glasner
Age: 50
Club: Crystal Palace
Nationality: Austrian
Oliver Glasner arrived at Crystal Palace with a point to prove and immediately turned the Eagles into a formidable outfit, finishing the 2023-24 Premier League season with six wins from seven, including emphatic victories over Manchester United and Aston Villa.
That was a glimpse of what a Glasner team can do, although Palace have started the 2024/25 campaign poorly. But faith shouldn’t be lost in the Austrian, who won the Europa League with Frankfurt in 2022 and has demonstrated his ability to produce free-flowing, attacking football.
46. Paulo Fonseca
Age: 51
Club: Milan
Nationality: Portuguese
Paulo Fonseca has had a slightly rocky start to life at Milan but his reputation is high after successful spells with several top European clubs, including Lille and Roma in recent years.
An attack-minded manager with progressive tactical ideas, Fonseca is now vastly experienced and a dependable figure, even if trophies – outside of his successful spell with Shakhtar Donetsk – have proved elusive. If he can get things right in Milan, the Portuguese will further enhance his status as one of the continent’s best coaches.
45. Imanol Alguacil
Age: 53
Club: Real Sociedad
Nationality: Spanish
The definition of a one-club man as a manager, Imanol Alguacil has been with Real Sociedad in some form or another since 2014, first taking charge of the B team before eventually taking the reins of the first team in 2018.
He has since guided his team to a Copa del Rey title in 2020, as well as qualification for the Champions League. Favouring a high-energy press and incisive, vertical passing, it would be no surprise if some of Europe’s elite clubs are monitoring Alguacil’s progress with Sociedad.
44. Enzo Maresca
Age: 44
Club: Chelsea
Nationality: Italian
There was some scepticism when Enzo Maresca was appointed Chelsea manager in the summer after just one season - albeit a promotion-winning one - with Leicester in the Championship. But the Italian is clearly a gifted coach and has already got Chelsea playing some fluid football.
Having worked closely with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City for several years, Maresca’s style of play is possession-heavy and based largely on positional superiority. At 44, there is plenty of time for him to establish himself as one of the best managers in the Premier League.
43. Adi Hutter
Age: 54
Club: Monaco
Nationality: Austrian
Austrian Adi Hutter worked his way up to the top in his homeland, managing Rheindorf Altach and SV Grodig before eventually joining Red Bull Salzburg in 2014. He impressed in his year-long spell there, later establishing himself as one of Europe’s top coaches in spells with Young Boys, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Now at Monaco, he has guided his side to the top of Ligue 1. His teams have developed a reputation for being exceptionally well-organised out of possession, pressing aggressively and giving up very few chances.
42. Marco Rose
Age: 48
Club: RB Leipzig
Nationality: German
Marco Rose made his breakthrough as a manager with Red Bull Salzburg, where he won two Austrian Bundesliga titles. That paved the way for success back in Germany, where he has had spells with Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and now RB Leipzig.
Rose’s high-energy, attacking style of play reaped rewards with Dortmund and now hometown club Leipzig, with the latter consistently challenging at the top end of the Bundesliga. Under the 48-year-old, they look like genuine contenders for the title this season.
41. Vincenzo Italiano
Age: 46
Club: Bologna
Nationality: Italian
Vincenzo Italiano is not yet a big name outside Italy, but in Serie A he is regarded as one of the very best coaches. The 46-year-old excelled with Fiorentina after joining from Spezia in 2021, taking the Florence club to two UEFA Conference League finals and a Coppa Italia final.
That earned the pragmatic tactician a move to Bologna, who are in the Champions League after a superb 2023/24 season under new Juventus boss Thiago Motta. If Bologna impresses in Europe, more people will begin to take notice of Italiano’s managerial talent.
40. Vincent Kompany
Age: 38
Club: Bayern Munich
Nationality: Belgian
Intelligent and cerebral as a player, it’s no real surprise that Vincent Kompany has become an accomplished coach. The former Manchester City defender, heavily influenced by Pep Guardiola, successfully integrated an eye-catching style of play at both Anderlecht and Burnley, earning promotion from the Championship with the latter.
Despite relegation last season, Kompany earned a move to Bayern Munich, where he has started strongly. The next challenge for the Belgian will be to win major trophies at a club where expectations are extremely high.
39. Marcelo Gallardo
Age: 48
Club: River Plate
Nationality: Argentine
Highly decorated as a player, Gallardo has added yet more silverware to his collection since turning manager. He’s won the Uruguayan Primera Division with Nacional and everything going with River Plate, to whom he returned mid-season August after a disappointing spell in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad.
With River Plate still in the frame for the league title and the Copa Libertadores, there could be yet more trophies on the way for Gallardo.
38. Edin Terzic
Age: 41
Club: —
Nationality: German
A two-time Borussia Dortmund boss, Terzic won the DFB-Pokal in his first season in charge in 2021 before being moved upstairs to a technical director role. One year later he was back in the dugout, however, and Dortmund fell agonisingly short of claiming the Bundesliga title, missing out on goal difference on the final day.
Last season was disappointing on a domestic front – Dortmund finished fifth – but they made it to the Champions League final before Terzic stepped down, this time leaving the club altogether, feeling he needed to find work in a new environment…especially after a spat with Mats Hummels over what the defender felt was overly-conservative tactical approach.
A former West Ham assistant manager under Slaven Bilic, Terzic is believed to want some time out of the game to consider his options – might a return to England be on cards one day?
37. Graham Potter
Age: 49
Club: —
Nationality: English
In football terms, it’s been a long time since Graham Potter was last in work: he was dismissed by Chelsea back in April 2023, then opted to take some time out of the game to regroup.
That short-lived spell has not significantly dented Potter’s reputation, however, and he continues to be linked with practically every job that comes up in English football, up to and including the vacant national team job. There’s a reason for that: he is one of the best tactical minds around, with Pep Guardiola among his public admirers.
36. Ange Postecoglou
Age: 59
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Nationality: Australian
The Australian has his critics – what some might call a commitment to attacking football, others might say is overly-dogmatic – but when Tottenham hit their stride playing Postecoglou’s style of football, they can look sensational.
Postecoglou has been tasked with the long-term project of building a youthful side into Champions League qualifiers again, and they just narrowly missed out on that objective last season after proving unable to maintain their brilliant initial run of form. There’s been hiccups this season, too…but you still sense that if he can get a bit of the naivety out of his team, they could become a rising force.
35. Nestor Lorenzo
Age: 58
National team: Colombia
Nationality: Argentina
You may only have had dim memories of Lorenzo from the 1990 World Cup or his spell at Swindon Town thereafter – but the former centre-back has been brilliant since taking over as Colombia boss in 2022. Lorenzo’s side went 28 games unbeaten from his appointment two years ago until they were finally beaten in extra time by Argentina in this year’s Copa America final.
Along the way on that two-year run, Lorenzo’s led Colombia to claim the scalps of Spain, Brazil, Uruguay and Germany – and they repaid the favour to Argentina by beating them, too, in a World Cup qualification match. They could be ones to watch if and when they secure qualification for the finals in two years.
34. Marco Silva
Age: 47
Club: Fulham
Nationality: Portuguese
Silva may have lost some of the shine he had on him after his short-lived spells at Hull City and Watford in 2017, but he is well-established as a capable top-flight manager after an up-and-down spell with Everton and guiding Fulham to promotion from the Championship.
Staying in the Premier League is increasingly difficult for teams coming up from the second tier over the past few years, but Fulham have done so comfortably in each of the past two seasons and are now building a side they hope can entrench them in the top half of the table.
33. Fabian Hurzeler
Age: 47
Club: Brighton & Hove Albion
Nationality: German
The hot new young thing on the Premier League scene after working his way up through the coaching ranks in Germany. Hurzeler is still just 31 years old but has already taken St Pauli from a potential relegation struggle to achieving promotion to the Bundesliga.
Hurzeler’s innovative attacking system is certainly easy on the eye – a great fit for long-standing entertainers Brighton – and he has started superbly in the job, claiming a victory over Manchester United, a draw away at Arsenal, and a phenomenal 3-2 comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur. At this stage, you just wonder how far he can go.
32. Andoni Iraola
Age: 42
Club: Bournemouth
Nationality: Spanish
The Basque Bournemouth boss already feels like part of the furniture in the Premier League not even a year and a half into his spell at Dean Court, which says something about how well he has done at a club who will know not to take top-flight status for granted.
Thanks to his high-pressing style and ability to get the best out of a sometimes-inconsistent group of players, Iraola led Bournemouth to their best-ever Premier League points tally last season. The stats suggest that was no accident, with Bournemouth performing admirably well at both end of the pitch – a kind of balance that many managers struggle to find.
31. Roberto De Zerbi
Age: 45
Club: Marseille
Nationality: Italian
Things did not end well for Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton, who had started brilliantly under the Italian before hitting a rough run of form in his final few months at the club – but it’s hard to say how much of that could be put down to his having been linked with so many bigger jobs elsewhere in the Premier League and an overall vibe that he would be off sooner or later.
De Zerbi had gained a well-earned reputation as a tactical innovator at Shakhtar Donetsk and was talked about in coaching circles across Europe. Now at Marseille, de Zerbi’s side have started the season well despite an early-campaign raft of red cards and will be hoping, at the very least, to close the gap on long-dominant PSG.
30. Thomas Frank
Age: 51
Club: Brentford
Nationality: Danish
It feels inevitable that Thomas Frank will eventually be offered the chance to manage one of Europe’s biggest clubs after his exceptional work with Brentford. The Dane took his side to promotion from the Championship, and has since expertly kept them clear of relegation with modest resources.
High-energy pressing and quick turnovers are the focus for Frank, who has also utilised set pieces to great effect at Brentford. After six years with the Bees, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the 51-year-old.
29. Peter Bosz
Age: 60
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Nationality: Dutch
Linked with Liverpool and Tottenham before both clubs appointed their respective managers, Peter Bosz has caught the eye in the Netherlands. He led PSV Eindhoven to the Eredivisie title in emphatic style last season, with 111 goals scored and 91 points accumulated.
Having previously impressed with Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon, Bosz is without doubt one of the most gifted coaches in Europe. He has cited Johan Cruyff as an influence, with his teams adopting a high, aggressive press and an emphasis on winning and retaining possession in the opposition’s half.
28. Ernesto Valverde
Age: 60
Club: Athletic Club
Nationality: Spanish
Ernesto Valverde had a somewhat difficult time at Barcelona, despite winning two La Liga titles in 2018 and 2019. Given what had come before him – Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique – standards were stratospheric, and in retrospect, Valverde did a relatively impressive job.
The 60-year-old is now back at Athletic Club – where he spent four years before his move to Barca and a spell before that – and continues to impress in the Basque country. He guided his side to fifth in La Liga last season, with an emphasis on direct attacks and a compact defence.
27. Marcelo Bielsa
Age: 69
National team: Uruguay
Nationality: Argentine
A familiar name now for English football fans after his memorable spell with Leeds, Marcelo Bielsa was once on the fringes of top-level football, viewed as an enigmatic eccentric. His tactical ideas are radical, but when his teams play at their fluid best it is a marvel to watch.
Now Uruguay manager, Bielsa has rarely stayed in one place for too long (Leeds were the exception in that sense). At 69, he appears to be no less energetic and no less influential, continuing to approach the game with the same sense of idealism and passion that has earned him so many admirers.
26. Sebastian Hoeness
Age: 42
Club: Stuttgart
Nationality: German
Sebastian Hoeness has been a revelation at Stuttgart, taking a side that had languished in the lower reaches of the Bundesliga – and briefly the second tier – for years back to the top table of German football.
Stuttgart finished second in the top flight last season, above Bayern Munich, having only narrowly avoided relegation the year before. It was a miraculous turnaround, and it was done in style, with Hoeness’ style of play easy on the eye. His side regularly play through their opposition, able to mix up their buildup and constantly create openings. The 42-year-old is definitely one to watch.
