Carlo Ancelotti made history this season with Real Madrid as the legendary Italian broke the trophy record for becoming the first manager to win the title in all five major European nations.
As one of the most successful coaches in the history of football, Ancelotti’s latest achievement is something that seemed only possible in Football Manager, yet the 62-year-old has managed just that, further enhancing his reputation as one of the best to ever take to the sideline.
With a record-breaking Champions League push also on the cards with Madrid, HITC Sport takes a look at five of the best managerial trophy records ever achieved in football, featuring names who took over Manchester United and Liverpool as well titans of the game from years gone by.
Carlo Ancelotti – Winner of all five major European titles
The central character to this feature, Ancelotti’s accomplishment will be tough to match in the coming generations given how hard it is to win a league title in any country, let alone in five of Europe’s best, yet that’s just what the great Italian achieved.
Winning his first title in 2004 with AC Milan, Ancelotti would have to wait seven years before his latest league win when the former Juventus boss guided Chelsea to the 2010 Premier League championship.
PSG came next in 2013, surprisingly Ancelotti’s only accolade with the French giants, before the Italian made the move to Bayern Munich where he won the 2017 Bundesliga title, wrapping up the collection this season with Madrid in stunning fashion.
Sir Alex Ferguson – Most trophies ever won by a top-flight manager
You can’t mention managerial trophy records without mentioning the man who remains to this day the most decorated manager in top-flight history, Sir Alex Ferguson.
What is there to say about the man that hasn’t already been said. The genius behind Manchester United’s absolute domination in the 1990s and 2000s and the man who created a dynasty in the Premier League, Ferguson is without question one of the creates managers in the history of football and arguably sports as a whole.
With an astonishing 48 titles to his name, Ferguson sits in a league of his own, with the Scotsman’s nearest competition coming in the form of Shakhtar Donetsk legend Mircea Lucescu, who only managed a measly 32 in his managerial career.
Giovanni Trapattoni – Joint-most European titles won
Winning domestic titles is all well and good, but being able to deliver in Europe has been a factor that has denied some incredible coaches from taking their reputation to the next level, just ask Arsene Wenger.
And there’s where Giovanni Trapattoni comes into the picture, with the Italian, alongside Ferguson and Ancelotti, is the most successful manager in European competitions, with the legendary coach winning seven continental titles during his time with the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan.
One of the few coaches to win a title in four different countries, Trapattoni is well placed in the annuls of legendary football managers, and in a coaching career that lasted 36 years, the now 83-year-old won everything possible at club level.
Bob Paisley – Joint-most Champions League titles won
As mentioned at the start, Ancelotti could make even more history this season if he leads Madrid to their 14th Champions League title, an achievement that will make the Italian the most successful manager in the competition’s entire history.
Whilst Zinedine Zidane has won the same number as Ancelotti, Liverpool icon Bob Paisley also managed three in what would be one of the Reds’ greatest ever periods in their history, with the Anfield side by far and away one of the best sides of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Three Champions Leagues, one UEFA Cup and six First Division titles make Paisley one of the most decorated managers in English football, and for Liverpool, arguably their greatest ever coach, unless Jurgen Klopp’s quadruple bid incredibly pulls off.
Vicente del Bosque – Winner of the World Cup, Champions League and Euros
Winning multiple Champions League and domestic titles is one thing, but only one man can lay claim to winning Europe’s top club prize as well as the FIFA World Cup and not one but to Euro championships, that being Vicente del Bosque.
The architect behind Spain’s period of dominance from 2008 to 2012, this La Roja squad could be regarded as the greatest international side of all time, with Del Bosque guiding the European nation to two Euros and the 2010 World Cup in Spain.
As well as winning a Champions League title, De Bosque is one of the most decorated international managers of all time and holds a coaching record that no figure could come close to in the coming years.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
