Ranking the 20 Best Managers in World Football Right Now

Summary: Both seasoned and new managers are making waves in the world of football.
Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, and Xabi Alonso are among the best-performing managers.
The 20 best managers in the world have been ranked according on titles, success, and longevity.
There are many excellent managers in international football right now, with some experienced veterans having a great 2024 and newer bosses emerging to make their claim as the best in 2025.

With the 2024/25 season just over halfway through, coaches have plenty of opportunity to make their case for a higher ranking among other top tacticians as they face the campaign’s crucial moments, which will be make or break for many.

With that said, here is a list of the 20 top managers in football right now, ranked according to the following criteria.

Ranking Factors
Trophies.
Recent success (awarded honours).
Longevity.
Performance met expectations.
International managers and out-of-work bosses are ranked lower due to a lack of recent games.
20 Best Managers in World Football (2025)

Rank

Manager

Team

1

Pep Guardiola

Manchester City

2

Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid

3

Arne Slot

Liverpool

4

Simone Inzaghi

Inter Milan

5

Xabi Alonso

Bayer Leverkusen

6

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal

7

Diego Simeone

Atlético Madrid

8

Jurgen Klopp

Unattached

9

Hansi Flick

Barcelona

10

Unai Emery

Aston Villa

11

Lionel Scaloni

Argentina

12

Luis Enrique

Paris Saint Germain

13

Didier Deschamps

France

14

Thomas Tuchel

England

15

Julian Nagelsmann

Germany

16

Antonio Conte

Napoli

17

Luciano Spalletti

Italy

18

Luis de la Fuente

Spain

19

Vincent Kompany

Bayern Munich

20

Gian Piero Gasperini

Atalanta

In pictures: The world’s best football managers right now

20Gian Piero Gasperini

Current team: Atalanta

A 30-year-old overnight sensation. This is one way to describe Gian Piero Gasperini. The 67-year-old Italian has been quietly going about his business, establishing himself as one of the most dependable managers in his home country, doing serviceable jobs without much success until now.

After playing for Genoa, Palermo, and Inter Milan for five games, Gasperini joined Atalanta in 2016 and won his first trophy eight years later when his team overcame unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final. It was the cherry on top of the experienced coach’s already impressive record at the club, however he is currently entangled in a feud with Ademola Lookman, who scored a hat-trick in the final.

19Vincent Kompany

Current team: Bayern Munich

Not many people can get relegated at the end of one season and then land one of Europe’s top roles the next year. That is exactly the situation Vincent Kompany has found himself in, as the former Manchester City defender was chosen as Thomas Tuchel’s replacement at Bayern Munich despite leading Burnley back to the Championship the previous season.

The Belgian previously had an unsuccessful spell at Anderlecht, but his dominant season with the Clarets, which saw them return to the Premier League in 2022/23, was enough to demonstrate his managerial potential. He has also impressed in Germany, where Bayern appear to be the favourites to reclaim the title from Bayer Leverkusen.

18Luis de la Fuente

Current team: Spain

After working his way up through Spain’s youth teams, Luis de la Fuente was given an opportunity with the national team in 2022, and he hasn’t looked back since. Euro 2024 was a strong campaign for his team, and the 63-year-old led them to victory. After defeating England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final, Spain became the first team to win all seven games in a major tournament.

Following a difficult few years, the manager swiftly turned things around, as Spain dominated their opponents in flair during the European Championship. With such a talented, youthful group at his disposal, it may be prudent to begin preparing for the former left-back and his players to dominate international football.

17Luciano Spalletti

Current team: Italy

In previous years, Italy has struggled to qualify for international competitions, but Luciano Spalletti has managed to turn the tide, leading them to Euro 2024. It was ultimately a poor performance, with the country eliminated in the round of 16 after a 2-0 loss to Switzerland.

After leaving Napoli, the former Inter Milan manager takes over as coach of the national team in 2023. During his time in Naples, Spalletti shown his ability to motivate his team, leading the club to its first Serie A title in almost 30 years. This is his most significant achievement in management to date. That could change, however, if he can lead his country to victory in a major tournament down the road.

16Antonio Conte

Current team: Napoli

While Antonio Conte’s days as one of the hottest managers are over, the Italian has been able to re-establish himself as one of the best tacticians at Napoli as he attempts to propel the Naples-based club back to the top of Serie A.

Conte’s reputation had taken a damage during his ill-fated spell at Tottenham, but history has shown that he did an amazing job considering the circumstances. Prior to it, he helped Inter Milan win Serie A, led Chelsea to the Premier League title, and dazzled as Italy’s first-team coach. All in the space of a decade. However, his defensive posture appears to have persisted in his home nation.

15Julian Nagelsmann

Current team: Germany

Despite failing to win Euro 2024 as hosts and one of the favourites, Germany is still predicted to achieve great things in the future, thanks in large part to Julian Nagelsmann’s revolutionary ideas. Bayern Munich’s dismissal of the German stirred eyebrows, as the 37-year-old was doing an admirable job.

Nagelsmann has since been employed by the national team, and he has won 11 of Die Mannschaft’s first 19 games, including a resounding victory over France. He has some of the most intriguing young players in the world at his disposal, like Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, and the young manager’s reputation will skyrocket if he leads his country to another huge victory.

14Thomas Tuchel

Current team: England

Thomas Tuchel may have departed Bayern Munich under a cloud after losing the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen, but his reputation as a top-tier manager remains intact. Man United were in talks about potentially appointing him as Erik ten Hag’s replacement until the German pulled out.

Despite his domestic struggles, Tuchel has a successful track record in Europe, having led the Bavarian club to the Champions League semi-finals. They were eliminated by Real Madrid, but given their history in European play, it’s difficult to hold that setback against Tuchel. The 51-year-old has been named England’s new manager, and he will be charged with ending the team’s long wait for a major title.

13Didier Deschamps

Current team: France

Didier Deschamps must be one of the most successful people in football history, when you consider all of his medals as a player as well as his managerial achievements. The Frenchman is the epitome of a serial champion, as seen at the 2018 World Cup.

Some fans have grown impatient with France’s lack of success in recent international tournaments, but the manager was a penalty shootout away from regaining the world football’s top prize in 2022. They underperformed at Euro 2024, but nevertheless advanced to the semi-finals. No matter what, France always has a chance in major tournaments because they have one of the top managers in world football now.

12Luis Enrique

Current team: Paris Saint-Germain

Luis Enrique’s managing abilities may soon be put to the test, as the Spaniard has been tasked with leading Paris Saint-Germain through the post-Kylian Mbappe period. The Frenchman has now joined Real Madrid, and Enrique must figure out how to succeed without him on the team.

However, his managerial track record speaks for itself, and the ex-Barcelona boss is one of the few guys on this list who will be confident in his ability to succeed in the situation. In his first year as manager, he has won a domestic trophy and a Ligue 1 title. Enrique, who has managed Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez at Barcelona, is comfortable working with big-name players and frequently gets the best out of them.

11Lionel Scaloni

Current team: Argentina

Everyone is aware of Lionel Scaloni’s most notable achievement as a football manager. He will be remembered as the guy who helped Lionel Messi win the World Cup in 2022, completing his football career. Of course, that doesn’t do justice to his overall efforts to turn the country from a near-sleeping superpower for many years to a team competing for all of the major honours on offer.

The 46-year-old also led Argentina to victories against Brazil and Colombia in the Copa America 2021 and 2024 finals, respectively. He has been in the position since 2018, taking it before reaching the age of 40. As a young manager, his success ought to be ranked higher on this list.

10Unai Emery

Current team: Aston Villa

Before the 2023/24 season began, nobody believed Aston Villa had a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, but Unai Emery ensured that the West Midlands club finished in the top four. Comparing the Villans’ current situation to when the ex-Arsenal manager took over from Steven Gerrard demonstrates how extraordinary this feat is.

He has been regarded as a fantastic tactician after winning many European titles with Sevilla, and Emery was on the verge of adding the Europa Conference League to his vast list of honours before Olympiacos defeated Villa. Nonetheless, he has propelled players such as John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, and Ezri Konsa to previously unthinkable heights, demonstrating that the Spaniard is an excellent man-manager, and his team is in the midst of a thrilling Champions League season.

9Hansi Flick

Current team: Barcelona

While his reputation suffered as a result of a disastrous term in command of the German national team, Hansi Flick has reminded the world of his managerial abilities now that he is at Barcelona. The former Bayern Munich coach settled in well at Camp Nou and had the Catalan giants flying to the top of the table.

A recent dip has seen the club lose their outright lead at the top of La Liga, but there is still much to play for in Spain. Flick, on the other hand, has proven to be an intelligent manager and the right man for the job at Barcelona.

8Jurgen Klopp

Current team: Unattached

Jurgen Klopp is no longer a manager, having left Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season. However, he will be remembered as one of the best managers in Premier League history, having transformed the Reds from a mid-table side to regular title contenders.

At the start of 2024, it appeared that the 57-year-old would be sent off in the best way possible. Liverpool was actively participating in four competitions and appeared practically unstoppable following Klopp’s statement. Unfortunately, the most successful manager the Merseyside club has had in the Premier League era left with only a League Cup win in his final season. He now serves in a non-coaching capacity for the Red Bull football company.

7Diego Simeone

Current team: Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone, one of the longest-serving managers in Europe’s top five divisions, has long been considered one of the world’s best coaches. In the 2023/24 season, Atletico Madrid had another good season, qualifying for the Champions League once more.

The sadness will stem from the absence of trophy, since the Spanish team was eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals despite being drawn on the beneficial side of the brackets. Simeone is possibly the best manager around when it comes to taking a realistic and firm approach, which is why he is so well compensated. With the signing of Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez, this season looks potential.

6Mikel Arteta

Current team: Arsenal

Arsenal fans would rank their manager as the finest on the planet, as Mikel Arteta has altered the club’s fortunes in recent years, putting them in contention for the Premier League title for the second consecutive season. If the north Londoners had won the English Championship for the first time in 20 years, the Spaniard would have been hailed as a hero.

However, all five managers on this list who came before him won trophies in the 2023/24 season. The Gunners were eliminated from both domestic championships in the early rounds, as well as the Champions League quarter-finals. Arteta has done an outstanding job of inspiring the club’s followers to dream of success in the near future, but his only critique is that it appears like next year will be the year to end the trophy drought.

5Xabi Alonso

Current team: Bayer Leverkusen

Xabi Alonso has done an excellent job throughout his two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen. His squad embarked on the longest unbeaten streak in Europe’s top ten leagues, knocking Bayern Munich from their Bundesliga throne for the first time in more than a decade.

Alonso won the German league title and added the 2024 DFB Pokal to Leverkusen’s trophy collection, but he fell short in Europe in an otherwise outstanding season. Many clubs across the continent have been associated with the finest young manager in international football, but the 43-year-old has committed to Bayer Leverkusen, much to the satisfaction of the team that has benefited significantly from his tactical acumen.

4Simone Inzaghi

Current team: Inter Milan

To be ranked ahead of Klopp, Alonso, and Arteta in 2024 is a great feat and credit to Simone Inzaghi’s work at Inter Milan. The Italian giants reclaimed the Serie A title after defeating fierce rivals AC Milan at the San Siro.

He also came close to becoming the first Inter manager to bring the Champions League back to Italy in the 2022/23 season, but lost in the final against Manchester City. Inter have now recovered domestically and are vying for a second consecutive Scudetto, as well as being among the favourites in Europe this season.

3Arne Slot

Current team: Liverpool

After a successful spell at Feyenoord, Arne Slot was picked to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool last summer. He arrived with enormous boots to fill. Given the history that the prior manager left at Anfield, Slot had a lot to live up to, and the pressure would have been easy to get to him soon. Instead, he has taken the Reds and propelled them to the top of the Premier League.

He has had the best start of any manager in Liverpool history and shows no signs of slowing down right now. The Reds have done an excellent job in choosing Klopp’s successor. So far this season, he has risen to the top of the world’s managerial rankings, and he may not be finished yet.

2Carlo Ancelotti

Current team: Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti, one of the rare people to have won the European Cup as both a player and a manager, will leave a lasting legacy. The Italian started dabbled in management in 1995, and over three decades later, he remains one of the greatest in the business.

Ancelotti exudes an aura that earns him respect from players. Taking control of the Real Madrid squad, which is stacked with superstars, and getting them to work hard for the badge is a daunting challenge. The 65-year-old has won league titles in four of Europe’s top five leagues (Spain, Germany, Italy, and France), most recently completing a Spanish league and Champions League double. His triumph in the latter implies he is without a doubt the best manager in the competition’s history.

1Pep Guardiola

Current team: Manchester City

Pep Guardiola still has enough credentials to be considered the top manager in world football. Manchester City won their fourth consecutive Premier League title under the former Barcelona manager, yet 2023/24 felt like a lacklustre season. These are the high standards established by the Catalan genius.

Guardiola has sealed his place as one of the greatest managers of all time after winning the Citizens’ first European trophy as part of a historic triple in the 2022/23 season. While his team has suffered recently, there’s little doubt that the former Barcelona manager is the finest in the world. Given that he recently signed a two-year contract extension to stay at the Etihad, the 53-year-old still has plenty of time to threaten to exceed Sir Alex Ferguson’s Premier League legacy, which no one expected when the famous Scot departed in 2013. With 39 career trophies, he is the second most decorated football manager in history.

With that said, City’s recent troubles have been awful, and if things don’t improve soon, Guardiola risks losing his status as the best manager in the world.