Carlo Ancelotti now has the most Champions League match wins of any coach in history. Real Madrid’s 5-1 drubbing of Celtic was the Italian’s 103rd victory in the competition. The win sees him top a list of true managerial greats of the game. Here are the top five winningest managers in Champions League history.
5. Jose Mourinho (81 wins)
A manager often described as a “serial winner”, it’s no surprise to find Mourinho on this list. The Champions League is the bedrock upon which the Portuguese legend’s career has been built. His underdog triumph with Porto in 2003/04 set the tone for further successes, including another Champions League win at Inter Milan.
Perhaps most impressively, as well as racking up 81 UCL wins, Mourinho has also lifted the Europa League and Europa Conference League trophies as a manager. A true European powerhouse.
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4. Arsene Wenger (86 wins)
The Arsenal icon became renowned for his ability to get the club into the Champions League year on year. While the Gunners never won the big one, Wenger did get them to a final in 2006. Sadly for the north London giants, they came up against a Barcelona side that posted Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and a young Andres Iniesta.
Wenger’s final Champions League win was a 4-1 victory over Basel in December 2016 in which long-forgotten forward Lucas Perez netted a hat-trick.
3. Pep Guardiola (96 wins)
A two-time winner of the competition at Barcelona, the Champions League was the stage upon which Guardiola introduced himself to the world as a manager. Those seasons of Messi-led brilliance are becoming a distant memory now, with spells at Bayern Munich and Manchester City failing to provide the third Champions League trophy he craves.
City did make it as far as the final in 2021, losing to domestic rivals Chelsea.
2. Sir Alex Ferguson (102 wins)
The Manchester United mastermind joins some of his greatest rivals on this gilded list. The Scot and his former arch-nemesis Wenger are the only two managers to have overseen all their UCL wins at one club. Ferguson’s 26-year reign saw him endure many ups and downs in Europe’s premiere competition.
Ferguson lifted the famous trophy twice, thanks to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Nou Camp heroics in 1999 and John Terry’s penalty slip-up in 2008.
1.Carlo Ancelotti (103 wins)
The new leader of this elite ranking has broken the record while also currently managing the reigning Champions League holders. Real Madrid won the competition for a record-extending 14th time last season, as Ancelotti led them to victory over Liverpool in the final.
Ancelotti also holds the record for most Champions League final wins, having lifted the cup two times each at AC Milan and Real Madrid.
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