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Top ten managers in the world ranked – just two Premier League coaches make list
The best coaches in the world all work outside of the Premier League. Well, almost all of them.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola rightly takes his place along the greatest, talkSPORT host Darren Bent explained on his Drivetime show.
The former England and Premier League striker was discussing football’s tacticians ahead of the ‘Game of the Century’ between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, but had a few honourable mentions before drilling into his top ten.
One of those was Jurgen Klopp, who has been out of management for nearly two years.
Instead, he works as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, a role he moved into in October 2024 after leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season.
“I would put Klopp in,” Bent said during the 4pm to 7pm slot.
“But because he’s been out of work and he’s got a different role now, I can’t put him in there.
“Say Klopp had been out of the game for six months, he’s [in this top ten list].”
In addition to Klopp not making Benty, the Gooner’s list, he also did not have room for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who is on the verge of reaching the Champions League final.
10th: Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Unai Emery took over Aston Villa at a time when the club was hovering precariously above the Premier League relegation zone.
Fast forward to today and Emery has made Villa a constant fixture in European football, with the club just three games away from winning the Europa League.
On an individual basis, Emery has moulded Ollie Watkins into one of the Premier League’s most consistent strikers and transformed Morgan Rogers into a player who is the envy of Europe’s elite clubs.
Emery also has Villa firmly on course to qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three seasons, a remarkable feat given the West Midlands outfit avoided relegation on the final day of the 2019/20 campaign.
It is a turnaround only a select few managers could ever pull off, especially with one hand tied behind his back due to the stranglehold of UEFA’s Squad Cost Ratio rules.
Bent’s verdict: “I think he’s top-drawer. Four Europa Leagues [won as a manager], you can’t forget that. I think what he’s done at Villa, getting them back into the Champions League, I think he’s been outstanding.”
9th: Vincent Kompany (Bayern Munich)
Eyebrows were raised when Vincent Kompany was plucked from Burnley, whose relegation he had overseen, and moved to Bayern Munich in May 2024.
But two Bundesliga crowns later and few can argue with Bayern’s bold call to hand Kompany the reins.
With Bayern’s status as domestic top dogs well established, Kompany’s primary challenge is to restore the German giants to the Champions League throne.
They may have lost 5-4 to PSG, but he has Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz scoring 100 goals between them and they are not done yet.
After the 2012/13 campaign, when Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund to win European football’s most coveted club trophy, the Bavarians have claimed the Champions League title just once, in 2020.
If Kompany can help Bayern win again, he’ll have firmly established himself as one of football’s best managers.
Bent’s verdict (speaking before the PSG loss): “The football he’s got them playing in the Champions League is destroying teams.”
8th: Xabi Alonso (unemployed)
Football can often be quick to move on, but Benty isn’t so antsy.
That’s why he believed Xabi Alonso’s record-breaking stint at Bayer Leverkusen warranted a spot in his top ten.
At Leverkusen, Alonso steered the club to its maiden Bundesliga crown and did so on the back of an unbeaten league campaign.
Alonso’s impressive work earned him a move to Real Madrid, where he enjoyed five seasons as a player.
Unfortunately his stint in the Bernabeu dugout wasn’t a success, with Alonso departing after just 34 games.
Bent’s verdict: “I don’t think you can look past what he did at Leverkusen. He got the Real Madrid job, it wasn’t that bad, but it’s Real Madrid. I think he’s top.”
7th: Thomas Tuchel (England)
In each of Thomas Tuchel‘s last four jobs, he has picked up a trophy, including the Champions League as Chelsea manager in 2021.
That trail of silverware is matched by very few, instantly putting Tuchel into the elite bracket of managers.
It is a key reason why England were convinced he is the man to end their 66-year trophy drought when the World Cup begins.
Bent’s verdict: “His resume before he got the England job speaks for itself.”
6th: Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)
Prior to the 2022 World Cup, Scaloni had managed just six games, all of which were for Argentina’s Under-20s.
His inexperience was used as a stick to beat him with when he was appointed Argentina’s head coach in August 2018, with the late Diego Maradona claiming Scaloni ‘wouldn’t even be able to direct traffic.’
Luckily Maradona’s predictions were nowhere near as good as his ability with the ball at his feet.
Scaloni has led Argentina to two Copa America titles (2021 and 2024) as well as a World Cup, helping Lionel Messi to cement his legendary legacy.
Bent’s verdict: “His record is unbelievable, he’s lost nine games.”
5th: Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil)
Carlo Ancelotti is a living legend and has the CV to back up the notion.
Since 1999, Ancelotti has managed Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, Paris-Saint Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Given the calibre of clubs Ancelotti has led, it’s no surprise his trophy cabinet – which includes five Champions League trophies – is bursting at the seams.
The 66-year-old is now in the midst of an entirely different challenge, with his appointment as Brazil boss marking his first foray into international management.
Bent’s verdict: “His resume speaks for itself, right?”
4th: Luis de la Fuente (Spain)
It had been more than a decade since Luis de la Fuente’s last senior managerial role when he was appointed Spain boss in December 2022.
However, his work with Spain’s youth teams, where he progressed from the Under-19s to the Under-23s, made him a logical candidate.
Safe to say, De La Fuente has not disappointed in his time in charge, losing just three times across 39 games.
The 64-year-old also led Spain to a European Championship in 2024, beating England in extra-time.
Bent’s verdict: “They’re going to the tournament as one of the favourites. Spain will be up there just because of the way they play possession football in the climate.”
3rd: Didier Deschamps (France)
Didier Deschamps is very much in a league of his own when it comes to the current crop of international managers.
Deschamps came within a whisker of making France the first nation to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
The 57-year-old will step down from his role as France boss at the end of the 2026 World Cup, bringing the curtain down on a tenure which began in July 2012.
If Deschamps can win France a third World Cup trophy – they are among the favourites – there can be no doubting his status as one of the most pivotal figures in French football history.
Bent’s verdict: “He’s been in charge of France for over 10 years. He’s won a World Cup and got to another final. I think he’s brilliant.”
2nd: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Not many managers can lay claim to implementing a playing style that became a trendsetter.
But then again, Pep Guardiola is not like most.
The 55-year-old has brought a sexy possession-based approach throughout his managerial stints at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City.
His tactical approach and eye for talent has also been reflected in his ridiculous trophy haul, which includes league titles in Spain, Germany and England, plus three Champions Leagues.
Bent’s verdict: “Brilliant.”
1st: Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
With Guardiola only good enough for second, it had to be a manager of ridiculously high standing to take out the top spot.
Yet Luis Enrique, in Bent’s eyes, is entirely befitting of the honour.
Enrique cracked the code that Emery, Ancelotti, Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino could not at Paris Saint-Germain, as he steered the Parisians to their first Champions League crown under the club’s Qatari ownership.
Key to the drought-breaking triumph was Enrique moving away from the club’s previous approach of hoovering up superstars and throwing them onto the pitch expecting them to conjure up magic.
Instead, the 55-year-old has got full buy-in from his squad, who are ridiculously good in their own right, to move forward with a team-first mentality.
Bent’s verdict: “What Luis Enrique is doing at PSG… they’ve had so many good managers. Look at the team he has built. Enrique got rid of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, and they got better.”
Goldstein bites back
Although Bent stated his reasons why he believed Enrique was superior to Guardiola, his Drive co-host Goldstein wasn’t having a bar of it.
“Pep won four Premier League’s on the bounce,” Goldstein said.
“Pep is the best on the planet at the moment.
“If you win the French league and you’re the PSG manager, that’s a gimme. What’s [Enrique] done more than Pep has done?
“They’ve both won the same amount of Champions Leagues at their own club. Pep’s won more because he went to Barcelona.
“He’s not better than Pep, you’ve got that wrong. You were doing so well up until there.
“You’re the only person on the planet that will agree with that.”
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