Over the years only a few nations have enjoyed success on the biggest stages in world football as Italy. With four FIFA World Cups and two European Championship titles, the Azzurri sit among the most decorated countries in the game. A lot of that success goes down to the incredible managers they have produced through the years.
A country filled with passionate fans known for the Serie A league that involves impeccable defending, and organised football, is considered one of the most prestigious competitions in club football, which includes highly successful clubs like Inter Milan, Juventus, and AC Milan that have dominated European football. With several Italian managers enjoying continuous success, both at home and abroad, there is truly something special in listing out the top five greatest Italian managers who embodied football.
5.Marcello Lippi 1982-2019
Marcello Lippi holds an incredible record at the club and international levels as one of only two men to have won the World Cup and UEFA Champions League. In fact, Lippi remains the only manager of the 21st century who holds that honour for Azzurri, winning the 2006 trophy.
While Lippi had a tough time at Inter Milan, his time at Juventus was paradise with plenty of silverware and accolades, dominating Serie A. His Juventus side won back-to-back titles in 1996/97 and 1997/98, and did the double once gain in 2001/02 and 2002/03. In the first spell of success, Juventus were also Champions League winners, and Lippi was named the best club coach in the world as well.
| Notable teams | Napoli, Juventus, Inter Milan, Italy national team |
| Major trophies | FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Serie A (x5), Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup (x4), UEFA Super Cup |
| Individual awards | World’s Best Club Coach (x2), World’s Best National Team Coach |
Thanks to Fabio Capello for creating the zonal marking system used by many teams today, with the concept brought to life from a research article he wrote in 1984. Naturally, the teams he managed had a core of strong defenses at that time. He got the likes of legendary players like Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta as youngsters into the AC Milan youth setup.
While he was famously known for managing the England national team, where finding success was a hard catch, it was not the case at the club level. His Serie A dominance puts him behind only two other managers — Massimiliano Allegri and Giovanni Trapattoni as he won the La Liga title in his two spells with Real Madrid, ten years apart.
| Notable teams | AC Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, England national team, AS Roma |
| Major trophies | Serie A (x5), La Liga (x2), UEFA Champions League, Italian Super Cup (x4), UEFA Super Cup |
| Individual awards | Serie A Manager of the Year |
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3.Arrigo Sacchi 1973-2001
Masterful and stubborn defensive style of play is what the Italians are known for but, in the late 1980s, Arrigo Sacchi changed the game, bringing a new attacking set-up to the gameplay. This playbook worked out as his AC Milan side won back-to-back European titles.
From a relative time, Sacchi became the influential manager for an entire generation to follow including, Carlo Ancelotti. Moreover, as the manager of Italy, he led the Azzurri to the World Cup final in 1994 but ultimately lost to Brazil on penalties. Later, he became the Director of Football at Real Madrid in 2004.
| Notable teams | AC Milan, Parma, Atletico Madrid, Italy national team |
| Major trophies | Serie A, Italian Super Cup, European Champion Club’s Cup (x2), UEFA Super Cup (x2) |
| Individual awards | UEFA President’s Award |
2.Giovanni Trapattoni 1972-2010
No manager has reached the summit of Serie A success like Trapattoni, with seven league titles to his name, for his native land. Putting all the rivalries aside, he coached Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan, winning the Serie A title with Juventus six times, and adding another with Inter in 1989.
His club-level contribution, both at home and in other nations such as Germany, Portugal, and Austria was remarkable. Between 2000 and 2004 Trapattoni also took on national duty, guiding Italy to the World Cup in 2002, and qualifying for Euro 2004. However, his side was knocked out in the round of 16 in the former, and the group stages in the latter.
| Managerial Career | |
|---|---|
| Notable teams | AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Italy national team, Benfica, Stuttgart |
| Major trophies | Serie A (x7), Coppa Italia (x2), Italian Super Cup, European Champion Club’s Cup, UEFA Cup (x3), UEFA Super Cup, Bundesliga, German Cup, German League Cup, Portuguese League title, Austrian League title |
| Individual awards | European Coach of the year (x2), European Coach of the Season (x2), Italian Football Hall of Fame |
1.Carlo Ancelotti 1992-Present
With the stature of the clubs Carlo Ancelotti has managed, winning trophies is a mandate. But looking at the sheer number of trophies Ancelotti has won, it becomes much harder to pin the success purely on the team, and just recognise that the Italian master simply owns the blueprint to win silverware.
His Real Madrid side has been the epitome of success, with the number of times Ancelotti has seen his team return from the brink to seal glory. With an overall of 28 honours in total, Ancelotti has a place as one of the most successful managers of all time, while the scary thing is, he shows no signs of slowing down, either.
| Managerial Career | |
|---|---|
| Notable team | Real Madrid, PSG, Chelsea, AC Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Napoli, EvertonCarlo Ancelotti |
| Major trophies | UEFA Champions League (x4), Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga (x2), Serie A, Ligue 1, FA Cup, Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey (x2), FIFA Club World Cup (x3)Carlo Ancelotti |
| Individual awards | World’s Best Club Coach (x2), Serie A Coach of the Year (x2), UEFA Best Manager (x2)Carlo Ancelotti |
FAQ-
Who is the greatest Italian manager of all time?
Carlo Ancelotti
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