Soccer is a tactical sport which needs a tactician to read in and out of the game and also instruct the players on what they should do in every situation they find themselves in.
Well, if you are wondering who is regarded as a tactician in soccer then you are at the right blog to get all the answers you need to your pressing questions.
A tactician in soccer is referred to as the manager or coach. The role of a coach is plainly to manage a team. However, every professional soccer team in the world has at least one coach.
Moreover, out of the thousands of coaches in the world, quite a few are regarded as the greatest soccer coaches of all time, and in this article, I will be listing some of the greatest soccer coaches of all time that you might have not known.
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Top Greatest Soccer Coaches Of All Time
1. Alex Ferguson
In 1986, Alex Ferguson somehow managed his country’s national team to the FIFA World Cup. In November 1986, Ferguson was appointed as the head coach by Manchester United.
In his time at the club where he spent 26 years, he won 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 2 UEFA Champions League, and a lot of other major trophies that sum it up to 38 trophies.
Well, Ferguson is regarded as the most decorated manager of all time as he had successfully won 49+ trophies as a manager before his retirement at Manchester United.
Alex Ferguson will forever be remembered for making the Red Devils a terrifying side and the King of Premier League football.
2. Pep Guardiola
Having retired as a player, Guardiola started to implement his coaching tactics in Barcelona’s junior team before being promoted to the senior side.
In 2009, Guardiola’s Side set a world record which made him gain global recognition. His side won 6 trophies that year which were La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
After having better years at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola went to Bayern Munich where he won the Bundesliga titles in all the 3 seasons he coached his side. He also won domestic titles.
After some successful seasons at Bayern, Guardiola went to Manchester City in the Premier League, where he has no longer been doubted as an elite manager.
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3. Matt Busby
It has always been uneasy to create a better soccer side twice but with Matt Busby, it seems very easy. Matt Busby first created an elite Manchester United side, popularly known as the “Busby Babes” which unfortunately, eight of the squad lost their lives in a Munich Air disaster years back.
Matt Busby did not waste time rebuilding his side after the unexpected incident. He built another strong United side which won the club’s first-ever European Cup in 1968.
Out of the 25 years he spent with the Red Devils, he won 13 trophies which makes his name appear in the list of greatest soccer managers of all time.
4. Carlo Ancelotti
With AC Milan, Carlo Ancelotti emerged as one of the elite players to grace the pitch of AC Milan. As a coach, Carlo Ancelotti has overcome big pitch challenges most especially with Real Madrid.
Ancelotti is also known as the most decorated manager in the history of UEFA Champions League having won the title four times, two at AC Milan and two at Real Madrid, his current team.
The manager also has 8 UEFA Champions League titles combined as a player and a coach. Carlo Ancelotti has however broken records and set notable ones in the UEFA Champions League campaign.
5. Helenio Herrera
Regarded as a top disciplinarian, Helenio Herrara famously suspended one of his players for saying “We came to play in Rome” instead of “We came to win in Rome.
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The coach is also a great coach who won 4 La Liga titles in Spain using Atletico Madrid and Barcelona and 3 Serie A titles with Inter Milan.
Inter Milan were lucky to have such a great manager with a big winning mentality. He guided the Italian side to winning two consecutive European Cups.
Herrera had tactics which could defeat a side no matter how strong they were.
6. Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi will always be remembered for managing a terrifying AC Milan side in 1987 – 1991.
In Arrigo’s first debut season as a coach for AC Milan, he won the Serie A and dominated European football which he went on to win European Cups in 1989 and 1990.
From 1991 to 1996, Arrigo Sacchi was head coach of the Italian national team and led his side to the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, where his side, unfortunately, lost to a stronger Brazil side in a penalty shoot-out.
7. Johann Cruyff
Most probably, Johann Cruyff is only noted as an elite soccer player but not one of the great soccer managers he was.
Johann Cruyff undoubtedly is one of the elite managers to ever grace the soccer pitch. In 1985, Cruyff began his coaching career with Ajax where he began his career as a player.
Winning the European Cup with Barcelona in 1992 and four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994 made Johann Cruyff one of the best managers of all time.
He also won the Dutch Eredivisie with Ajax as a coach in 1985, 1990, and 1994.
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8. Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley is hardly mentioned in the debate of greatest soccer manager of all time despite playing and managing Liverpool for close to 50 years.
Having Bill Shankly as the Liverpool head coach and Bob Paisley as the assistant coach, Liverpool formed a very dangerous side that made them win major titles in England.
After Shankly’s retirement in 1974, Bob Paisley was appointed by Liverpool to replace Shankly where he won 20 trophies in 9 seasons which included 6 League Championships, 3 League Cups, 6 Charity Shields, 3 European Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, and 1 UEFA Super Cup.
Still with Liverpool, Bob won the Manager of the Year award 6 times and set records in the European Cup competition.
9. Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni is tied in the list of coaches that have won league titles in 4 different European countries. To sum up Giovanni’s achievements, he won 10 league titles in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Portugal.
In the continental stage, he won the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup with one Italian team, Juventus.
Giovanni Trapattoni also managed his native Italy to the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004 but could not successfully win his native Italy the competition, and he faced an early exit in both competitions.
10. Brian Clough
Tied on number 9 of the greatest soccer managers of all time is Brian Clough who was a successful manager at Derby County and Nottingham Forest which were small before he arrived at these clubs respectively.
After three years from 1968/69 of helping Derby County promoted to the Premier League, Brian Clough handed his side their first-ever Premier League title and reached the European Cup semis in 1973.
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At Nottingham Forest, he helped his side come up from relegation to the Premier League where he won the league at first attempt with Nottingham Forest.
He helped Nottingham Forest also win two consecutive European Cups in 1979 and 1980. Moreover, he handed them two League Cup victories in 1978 and 1979.
Conclusion
Arguably, there are other coaches such as Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, Luis Enrick, Zinedine Zidane and others that are regarded as great soccer coaches but are not mentioned in this article.
In a nutshell, I have only listed some great soccer coaches of all time and not all.
Moreover, if you have any pressing questions regarding the greatest soccer coaches of all time, do not hesitate to use the comment section.
Kenny is an experienced blogger and sports writer who majors in soccer articles amongst other trending niches. Do well to stay updated with his updates and that of his team of editors on Readsoccer.
