Which managers have won the most major European trophies? | OneFootball

Which managers have won the most major trophies? Unai Emery is celebrating continental success again after leading Aston Villa to the 2025-26 Europa League.

Emery extended his record to five Europa League wins asAston Villa beat SC Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday night. The Spaniard's success means he has joined an exclusive group of managers to have won five major European trophies as a manager,

Carlo Ancelotti – 5

Don Carlo boasts arguably the best coaching résumé of all time, one which includes a record-breaking fiveChampions League crowns and becoming the only manager to have won each of Europe's top five leagues.

Ancelotti won theChampions League for the first time with AC Milan in 2002/03, beating Juventus on penalties in an all-Italian final, before guiding the Rossoneri to a second with victory over Liverpool in 2007. That success atoned for Milan's collapse against the same opponent in 2005, a rare blot on Ancelotti's continental copybook.

He later led Real Madrid to 'La Decima' as the Spanish side secured a long-awaited 10th European crown, before returning to the club for a second stint and lifting the Champions League in 2022 and 2024.

Ancelotti also twice won the European Cup as a player, while his total of 11 UEFA club competition wins, including the UEFA Super Cup and now-defunct Intertoto Cup, represent a record.

Giovanni Trapattoni – 5

Another iconic Italian who had his fair share of success in European competition.

Trapattoni, alongside Udo Lattek and José Mourinho, he is one of only three coaches to have won all three major seasonal European club competitions (European Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup orEuropa Conference League) and the only one to do so with the same club, having achieved the feat with Juventus.

He led Juventus to their first European Cup in 1985, a triumph that was sandwiched between two UEFA Cup wins and 1984 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success. Trapattoni later led Inter Milan to the UEFA Cup to secure his fifth major European prize, beating AS Roma in the 1991 final.

José Mourinho – Five

Like Trapattoni, Mourinho has won all three major club competitions and has led four different teams to European success.

The Special One announced his arrival on the world stage at FC Porto, leading the Portuguese side to a Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and UEFA Cup treble during the 2002/03 season. Porto beat Celtic in a thrilling UEFA Cup final, but few could predict what was to come.

The following season, Mourinho masterminded Porto's success in the Champions League. The underdogs upset Manchester United on route to the final, where a 3-0 win over AS Monaco saw Porto crowned European champions.

Mourinho moved on to Chelsea that summer, before returning to the pinnacle of Europe at Inter Milan. He led the Nerazzurri to a historic Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble in 2009/10, the first time an Italian side had ever achieved that feat.

In a management career that has spanned more than two decades, Mourinho has won the Europa League as Manchester United manager, and oversaw Roma's victory in the inaugural Europa Conference League final to complete the set.

Unai Emery – 5

Unai Emery has joined the small group of managers to have won five major European trophies, with each of his successes coming in the Europa League. Though Europe's second competition does not hold the same weight as the Champions League, it remains an astonishing achievement for a coach who has mastered the art of two-legged ties.

Emery won a hat-trick of Europa League titles with Sevilla, winning the competition in three consecutive campaigns. After beating Benfica and Dnipro in successive seasons, Sevilla stunned Liverpool to seal a third straight trophy in 2016.

Emery added his fourth Europa League with Villarreal in 2021, as the Spanish side beat Manchester United in a penalty shootout, before this season's triumph at Aston Villa. His 2026 win ended Aston Villa's 30-year wait for a major trophy.

Emery's five major European trophies take him past Alex Ferguson, Bob Paisley and Nereo Rocco, all of whom won four.