50 Fun Facts About Football Managers

Which self-styled 'Special One' is the only manager to have won all three current UEFA club competitions?

José Mourinho completed the set with Roma's 2022 Conference League, having won the Champions League with Porto and Inter and the Europa League with Manchester United. The 'special one' line came at his 2004 Chelsea unveiling.

Which manager introduced himself as 'The Normal One' at his first Liverpool press conference in 2015?

Jürgen Klopp's line was a parody of a rival's 'Special One' boast from 2004. He had become Mainz 05's manager in 2001 the moment he retired as one of its players.

Which England manager lasted one match and 67 days in 2016 before a newspaper sting ended his reign?

Sam Allardyce left by mutual consent after undercover Daily Telegraph reporters posing as businessmen recorded him offering to help them get around FA third-party ownership rules.

Which manager was sacked by Leicester City in February 2017, nine months after winning the Premier League?

Claudio Ranieri was dismissed with Leicester one point above the relegation zone and 13 matches left. British media had earlier dubbed him 'The Tinkerman' for over-rotating his Chelsea squad.

Which manager was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in June 2025, weeks after ending the club's 17-year trophy wait?

Ange Postecoglou's Spurs beat Manchester United 1–0 in the Europa League final, then dismissed him on 6 June, two years to the day after his appointment. He had been the first Australian to manage in the Premier League.

Which manager lasted just 44 days at Leeds United in 1974 after alienating the club's star players?

Brian Clough was sacked by the Leeds directors on 12 September 1974, two years after taking Derby County to the league title. He won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest within six years.

Which Italian is the only manager to have won league titles in all five of Europe's top leagues?

Carlo Ancelotti's titles came with Milan (2004), Chelsea (2010), Paris Saint-Germain (2013), Bayern Munich (2017) and Real Madrid (2022). In 2025 he took his first national-team job, with Brazil.

Who is the only manager to have won the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Intercontinental Cup?

Vicente del Bosque won the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2000 and 2002, then Spain's 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, the latter hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Which Manchester United manager had played for two of the club's greatest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool?

Matt Busby twice received the last rites after the 1958 Munich air disaster, left hospital after nine weeks, and in 1968 became the first manager of an English team to win the European Cup.

Which manager led Scotland at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, months before taking over at Manchester United?

Alex Ferguson agreed to take charge of Scotland after Jock Stein's death, first for the play-off against Australia and then at the finals, while still running Aberdeen.

Which England manager's 1966 World Cup winners were dubbed the 'Wingless Wonders' for their narrow formation?

Alf Ramsey was knighted in 1967 for the win, yet lost the job acrimoniously after England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup.

Which coach won the Women's Euros with the Netherlands in 2017 and then with England in 2022 and 2025?

Sarina Wiegman is the first coach to win the tournament with two different countries; England's 2022 final was a 2–1 win over Germany at Wembley.

Which England-born coach won consecutive Women's World Cups with the United States in 2015 and 2019?

Jill Ellis, born in Folkestone, Kent, became only the second coach to win consecutive World Cups, after Italy's Vittorio Pozzo in 1934 and 1938.

Which coach won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil but was sacked by Chelsea after seven months in 2009?

Luiz Felipe Scolari's Brazil beat Germany 2–0 in the 2002 final with two Ronaldo goals; Chelsea sacked him on 9 February 2009 after a 2–0 defeat at Liverpool.

Which coach managed Germany for 15 years from 2006, winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil?

Joachim Löw had been brought in as Klinsmann's assistant after Euro 2004; his 2014 final was settled by Mario Götze's 112th-minute goal against Argentina.

Which Italian resigned as England manager in February 2012 after the FA stripped John Terry of the captaincy?

Fabio Capello quit on 8 February 2012, four months before Euro 2012, over the FA's removal of the captaincy from John Terry. He had won league titles with Milan, Roma and Real Madrid before taking the England job in 2008.

Which Dutch coach took co-hosts South Korea to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals and was made an honorary citizen?

Guus Hiddink was the first person ever granted honorary South Korean citizenship; the run ended with a 1–0 semi-final defeat to Germany.

Which German became England's third foreign head coach when his appointment took effect on 1 January 2025?

Thomas Tuchel followed two earlier foreign coaches into the job; he had won the 2021 Champions League with Chelsea, beating Manchester City 1–0 in the final within months of arriving.

Which manager left Chelsea after seven WSL titles to win Olympic gold with the United States in 2024?

Emma Hayes's seven titles included five in a row from 2020 to 2024; she was named USA head coach in November 2023 but finished the WSL season first.

Which Liverpool manager was the first to win three European Cups, in 1977, 1978 and 1981?

Bob Paisley won twenty honours in nine seasons and was the first manager to win the European Cup three times.

Which Liverpool manager had the 'THIS IS ANFIELD' plaque fixed to the wall above the players' tunnel?

Bill Shankly's retirement was announced at a surprise press conference on 12 July 1974, after fifteen years in charge.

Which manager won the French title in his first season at Monaco, 1987–88, before 22 years at Arsenal?

Arsène Wenger's Monaco finished six points clear of Bordeaux; nicknamed 'Le Professeur', he became the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Which manager went straight from a season with Barcelona's fourth-tier B side to the senior job in 2008?

Pep Guardiola's B team won its Tercera División group, and his first senior season ended with Spain's first treble of league, cup and Champions League.

Which Ajax and Netherlands coach, a Euro 88 winner, was named FIFA's Coach of the Century in 1999?

Rinus Michels managed Ajax to the first of three consecutive European Cups in 1971 and is credited as the architect of the Dutch 'Total Football' style.

Which interim appointee of November 2019 led Bayern Munich to the Champions League nine months later?

Hansi Flick stepped up when Niko Kovač left by mutual consent on 3 November 2019, completed the treble and added a sextuple with the Club World Cup in February 2021; he took the Barcelona job in May 2024.

Which Argentine admitted sending a spy to watch Derby County train in 2019, costing Leeds United a £200,000 fine?

Marcelo Bielsa, nicknamed 'El Loco', paid the £200,000 EFL fine out of his own pocket.

Which manager's fifth Europa League title came with Aston Villa's 3–0 win over Freiburg in the May 2026 final?

Unai Emery's first three came in successive seasons at Sevilla from 2014 to 2016, then Villarreal in 2021 and Aston Villa in 2026.

Which coach won the continental treble with Barcelona in 2015 and again with Paris Saint-Germain in 2025?

Luis Enrique became only the second manager to win the treble twice; Barcelona beat Juventus 3–1 in the 2015 final and PSG beat Inter in 2025.

Which Italian coach is the only one to have won both the UEFA Champions League and the AFC Champions League?

Marcello Lippi won the 1996 Champions League with Juventus and the 2013 AFC edition with Guangzhou Evergrande, with Italy's 2006 World Cup in between.

Which AC Milan coach, a former shoe salesman who never played professionally, won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990?

Arrigo Sacchi answered doubts about his playing record with 'I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first'.

Which Chelsea and Juventus manager spent years as a banker in Tuscany while coaching amateur sides?

Maurizio Sarri worked for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena and never played professionally; his first major trophy was Chelsea's 2019 Europa League.

Whose 'Grande Inter' won back-to-back European Cups in 1964 and 1965 playing catenaccio?

Helenio Herrera's eight-year spell at Inter made him the world's highest-paid manager when Roma hired him in 1968.

Which Chelsea player-manager became the first from outside the British Isles to win a major English trophy, in 1997?

Ruud Gullit's FA Cup was Chelsea's first major trophy in 26 years and also made him the first Black manager to win a major British trophy.

Which manager, later the FA's technical director, won the final old First Division title with Leeds United in 1992?

Howard Wilkinson won the First Division with Leeds United in 1992; he went on to chair the League Managers Association from its formation that year until 2024.

Which England manager quit in 1977 to coach the United Arab Emirates, earning a ten-year ban from the FA?

Don Revie broke the news in a Daily Mail exclusive on 12 July 1977; a court later overturned the FA's suspension, ruling the governing body had overreached its powers.

Which manager won the 1981 UEFA Cup with Ipswich Town before eight years in charge of England?

Bobby Robson's Ipswich beat AZ 67 Alkmaar 5–4 on aggregate; he later took England to the 1990 World Cup semi-final, lost on penalties to West Germany.

Which coach won Euro 2008 with Spain, their first international honour since 1964, by adopting tiki-taka?

Luis Aragonés chose short passing to offset his players' physical weakness; Spain beat Germany 1–0 in the final with a Fernando Torres goal.

Which qualified physician coached Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title and the 1990 final?

Carlos Bilardo graduated as a physician alongside teammate Raúl Madero before retiring as a player; Diego Maradona captained his 1986 winners.

Which Tottenham manager won the 1960–61 League and FA Cup double, the first of the twentieth century?

Bill Nicholson's Spurs then became the first British club to win a major European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup of 1963.

Which future Arsenal manager was banned from football for life in 1919 over Leeds City's illegal payments scandal?

Herbert Chapman's ban was overturned, and he died in office in the early hours of 6 January 1934 with Arsenal the reigning champions.

Who was England's first manager, in charge from 1946 to 1962 while a selection committee picked his players?

Walter Winterbottom remains England's first, youngest and longest-serving manager, and never had the power to pick his own side.

Whose 2007 return as Torquay United head coach ended ten minutes after it was announced, when the club was sold?

Leroy Rosenior's reappointment on 17 May 2007 was undone when a local consortium bought the club, installed Colin Lee as chief executive and named Paul Buckle manager.

Which coach ran Auxerre for more than 40 years from 1961, taking a fourth-tier club to the 1996 French title?

Guy Roux started as Auxerre's player-manager in the Division d'Honneur in 1961, took the club into Division 1 in 1980 and clinched the 1995–96 title.

Which Austrian was the first coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs, Feyenoord and Hamburg?

Ernst Happel won with Feyenoord in 1970 and Hamburg in 1983; Vienna's Praterstadion, Austria's biggest ground, was renamed the Ernst-Happel-Stadion after him.

Which coach's Hungary side beat an England team including Stanley Matthews 6–3 at Wembley in 1953?

Gusztáv Sebes's 'Mighty Magyars' had won Olympic gold in 1952, scoring 20 goals in five games and beating Yugoslavia 2–0 in the final.

Which Dynamo Kyiv coach modelled his players' training loads mathematically with scientist Anatoliy Zelentsov?

Valeriy Lobanovskyi's system of calculated physical loads brought Dynamo Kyiv the Cup Winners' Cup in 1975 and again in 1986.

Who coached hosts Uruguay to the first World Cup in 1930, and at 31 remains the youngest winning coach?

Alberto Suppici's Uruguay beat Argentina 4–2 in the final in Montevideo; no younger coach has lifted the trophy since.

Which coach won Euro 2000 with France and then the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations with Tunisia?

Roger Lemerre was the first coach to win two different continental championships, and did it with hosts Tunisia at the African finals.

Which coach became the first manager born outside Britain or Ireland to run an English top-flight club, in 1990?

Jozef Vengloš was appointed by Aston Villa, fresh from taking Czechoslovakia to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals.

Which Brazilian coached five different nations at a record six World Cups, winning with Brazil in 1994?

Carlos Alberto Parreira's six tournaments spanned Kuwait in 1982, the UAE, Brazil twice, Saudi Arabia and hosts South Africa in 2010.