The managers with the most Champions League and European Cup titles

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The Football Faithful

·31 Mei 2026

The managers with the most Champions League and European Cup titles

Luis Enrique claimed his third Champions League title as a manager after leading PSG to victory over Arsenal in the 2026 final on Saturday evening.

The Parisians were made to work a lot harder than they were last year, when they absolutely trounced Inter Milan 5-0.

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The Gunners took an early lead through Kai Havertz and proceeded to give their opponents precious few opportunities to get back into the game.

That was, until Cristhian Mosquera chopped down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the box in the second half, allowing Ousmane Dembele to equalise from the spot.

The two sides could not be separated after 120 minutes of action, meaning the winner had to be decided by penalties. As expected from a team coached by Enrique, his players held their nerve and won the shootout 4-3.

Enrique now belongs in the pantheon of greatest managers in the history of European football, doing something only four other people have ever achieved.

The managers with the most Champions League titles ever:

=2. Zinedine Zidane – 3 (2016, 2017, 2018)

No one knew what to expect of Zinedine Zidane when he replaced Rafa Benitez as Real Madrid boss. His only managerial experience was a two-year stint with the club’s B team.

But the French legend turned out to be one of the most successful head coaches in the club’s illustrious history, winning three straight Champions League finals in his initial stint in charge. Sacre bleu.

Read – The three players to score in a Champions League final for different teams

=2. Pep Guardiola – 3 (2009, 2011, 2023)

It’s mind-boggling that Pep Guardiola has not won more Champions League titles as a manager, but knockout football does not always reward the best teams in the tournament.

The Catalan coach burst onto the scene in 2009 when he led Barcelona to The Treble in his debut campaign. They conquered Europe again two years later, beating Manchester United for a second time in the final.

Guardiola failed to reach the final during his three years with Bayern Munich, but he guided Manchester City to the decider twice in his decade-long spell at the Premier League club. They lost the first one to Chelsea, but final got over the line in 2023 when they beat Inter Milan in Istanbul.

Read – The players with the most Champions League titles

=2. Bob Paisley – 3 (1977, 1978, 1981)

Bob Paisley’s record as the most prolific manager in European Cup history stood for over four decades, with no other coach able to match his three titles won with Liverpool.

The Reds’ relationship with ‘big ears’ began in 1977 when they defeated Borussia Monchengladbach. They retained their crown a year later with a narrow win over Club Brugge at Wembley.

They relinquished their grip on the trophy the following year when Nottingham Forest knocked them out in the first round, but they returned to the final in 1981, beating Real Madrid 1-0 in Paris.

Paisley retired two years having won six First Division titles, the UEFA Cup, three League cups and, of course, three European Cups.

Read – The four English players to have scored in multiple Champions League semi-finals

=2. Luis Enrique – 3 (2015, 2025, 2026)

The appointment of Luis Enrique as Barcelona manager in 2014 was met with some raised eyebrows. At the time he had only taken the reins at two clubs, Roma and Celta Vigo, both spells lasting just a year.

But like Guardiola, the former Barça midfielder won every major trophy in his first season, beating Juventus in the 2025 final to claim The Treble. He erased any doubts over his ability to get Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr to function as a front three in his system.

Enrique ended up in Paris via the Spain national team in 2023, tasked with a seemingly impossible job: get PSG over the line in the Champions League. Before his arrival, the French giants had consistently fallen short in the competition despite their considerable financial advantage over almost every other club.

The 56-year-old high-energy, high-pressing approach appeared to be anathema to the individualist, ego-driven squad, but he somehow got his players to buy into his methods. Dembele, once an infamously lazy player, now leads the press with enormous ferocity.

The departure of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid now looks like a major turning point in the club’s history. The France international is undeniably brilliant, but didn’t work for the team despite the manager’s best efforts.

Perhaps it is just a coincidence, but since Mbappe’s exit, PSG have not lost a knockout tie in the Champions League, winning successive titles under Enrique.

Read – Champions League final 2026 in pictures as PSG beat Arsenal

1. Carlo Ancelotti – 5 (2003, 2007, 2014, 2022, 2024)

Standing tall above everyone in European football, Carlo Ancelotti has won an astonishing five Champions League titles as a manager.

After winning two European Cups as a player with AC Milan, Don Carlo guided the Italian club to two more in the dugout. It really should have been three, but Istanbul happened.

Ancelotti couldn’t repeat the same level of success at Chelsea or PSG, but it was at Real Madrid where he showed he still had what it takes to conquer Europe. He did what so many other managers had tried and failed to do; guide Los Blancos to their 10th Champions League win.

When Ancelotti did so in 2014, it kicked off a period of domination by the club, though much of it came after his exit in 2015. He returned in 2021, this time without Cristiano Ronaldo in the team, but lifted the trophy two more times anyway.

Is he the best tactician of all time? Almost certainly not. But he is arguably the greatest manager of footballers we will ever see.

Read – Remembering the AC Milan side that hammered Cruyff’s Dream Team 4-0 in the UCL final