The 10 managers who have won the most trophies since Pep Guardiola arrived on the scene
Pep Guardiola continues to force his way into the conversation of greatest football manager of all time, strengthening his case by leading Manchester City to a fourth consecutive Premier League title.
If you can look passed the – alleged – years of financial inflation, state ownership and rampant spending in order to build a super-team since Pep’s arrival, it really is a dream come true.
Sarcasm and scepticism aside, regardless of how City got there, they did. And Guardiola deserves his flowers for that.
Since his 2016 arrival, Guardiola has gone from strength to strength in Manchester. The former Barca boss has unlocked new levels, continually adapting his methods and seamlessly tweaking his squad to bring it to its latest, most dangerous iteration – all while sweeping up major honours along the way.
He’s really good, is that Pep fella. Annoyingly good. And this isn’t new knowledge. It was worryingly apparent when he burst onto the scene at Barcelona in 2008-09 and led them to a treble in his first season. He then proved ousting Sir Alex Ferguson in a European final wasn’t a fluke, doing it again two years later.
How can someone be that good at football management? Makes you sick. Would like to see how he does on Football Manager with a shoestring budget in the National League North, that’s for sure.
No total football, no transfer war chests, no room to hide behind dodgy touchline attire down there. Nah. Just results, Pep. Cold, hard results – behind a laptop screen.
If you’re holding out, waiting for that to become a reality, you’re unfortunately going to be waiting a while.
Guardiola is at the very top of his game and – somehow – only appears to be getting better whilst everyone else in the management game appears to go through ebbs and flows. You know, like a normal, mere mortal does.
Fergie has retired, Jose Mourinho has been around everywhere in Europe and his powers are fading. Jurgen Klopp has nearly ruined everything he has worked so hard to create at Liverpool by running Guardiola so close in the Premier League, coming out on top just once.
And when a resurgent Arsenal under Guardiola’s apprentice Mikel Arteta threatened to end their domestic dominance, he was blown out of the water at the crucial time of the season.
So, with that all in mind, exactly how much has Guardiola dominated in management since his first treble win in 2009 Who are the most successful managers in the list with him, and more importantly, how far off him are they? Fear not, we’ve got you covered.
Here are the 10 managers who’ve managed to win the most trophies since Guardiola set out on a warpath of dominance.
10. Rafa Benitez/Louis van Gaal – 5 major trophies each
9. Hansi Flick/Antonio Conte/Diego Simeone – 7 major trophies each
8. Luis Enrique/Zinedine Zidane – 11 major trophies each
=5. Jurgen Klopp – 13 major trophies
Had it not been for Guardiola, Klopp would no doubt be higher up on this list. The pair went toe-to-toe in the Bundesliga and have since done the same in the Premier League.
Borussia Dortmund: Bundesliga (2010–11, 2011–12), DFB-Pokal (2011–12), DFL-Supercup (2013, 2014)
Liverpool: Premier League (2019–20), FA Cup (2021–22), EFL Cup (2021–22, 2023–24), Community Shield (2022), Champions League (2018–19), Super Cup (2019), Club World Cup (2019)
=5. Marcelo Gallardo – 13 major trophies
Gallardo won it all with River Plate from 2014 to 2022. He recently spent a short stint with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, but is now available for work once again.
Nacional: Uruguayan Primera Division (2011-12)
River Plate: Copa Sudamericana (2014), Copa Libertadores (2015, 2018), Recopa Sudamericana (2015, 2016, 2019), Copa Argentina (2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19), Supercopa Argentina (2017, 2019), Argentine Primera Division (2021)
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=2. Carlo Ancelotti – 14 major trophies
Don Carlo really is timeless.
In a newly defined era of dominance, the now veteran Italian manager has kept his head above the water by winning rather mercilessly himself. His honours since 2009 include:
Chelsea: Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield (2009-10)
Real Madrid: Champions League (2013-14), Copa Del Rey (2013-14), UEFA Super Cup (2014), FIFA Club World Cup (2014), La Liga (2021-22, 2023-24), Champions League (2021-22), Super Cup (2022, 2024), Club World Cup (2022), Copa Del Rey (2022-23)
Bayern Munich: Bundesliga (2016-17), DFL-Supercup (2016, 2017).
=2. Massimiliano Allegri – 14 major trophies
A polarising figure, Allegri was unable to get them over the line in Europe, but ushered in a decade or so of unwavering domestic dominance of Italy with Juventus.
Milan: Serie A (2010-11), Supercoppa Italiana (2011)
Juventus: Serie A (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19), Coppa Italia (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2023-24), Supercoppa Italiana (2015, 2018)
=2. Jose Mourinho – 14 major trophies
At this point it’s nigh-on impossible to genuinely suggest that Mourinho is a better manager than Pep. Painful. But that’s not to say the Portuguese coach has failed; he’s still the most successful out of anyone since Pep’s reign of terror began and won a treble himself with Inter in 2009-10.
Inter Milan: Serie A (2008-09, 2009-10), Coppa Italia (2009-10), Champions League (2009-10)
Real Madrid: Copa Del Rey (2010-11), La Liga (2011-12), Supercopa de Espana (2012)
Chelsea: Premier League (2014-15), League Cup (2014-15)
Manchester United: Community Shield (2016), League Cup (2016-17), Europa League (2016-17)
Roma: Europa Conference League (2021-22)
1. Pep Guardiola – 38 major trophies
Bow down to the master. We cannot replace him.
Barcelona: La Liga (2008-09, 2009-10 2010-11), Champions League (2008-09, 2010-11), Copa Del Rey (2008-09, 2011-12), Super Cup (2009, 2011), Club World Cup (2009, 2011), Supercopa de Espana (2009, 2010, 2011)
Bayern Munich: Bundesliga (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16), DFB-Pokal (2013-14, 2015-16), Super Cup (2013), Club World Cup (2013)
Manchester City: Premier League (2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24), FA Cup (2018-19, 2022-23), Champions League (2022-23), League Cup (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21), Community Shield (2018, 2019), Super Cup (2023), Club World Cup (2023)