5 Top-Class Great Managers Who Have Never Managed To Win The UEFA Champions League

Some managers have been fortunate enough to lift the Champions League more than once, while for others the Champions League trophy has eluded them despite their best efforts to dominate Europe. For the sake of consistency, all of the managers included having appeared in the Champions League after 1992. It would be dishonest to include coaches who have never even competed in the tournament. Joachim Löw, the 2010 World Cup-winning coach, has selected many things, but never a starting lineup for a Champions League game. Likewise, Liverpool great Bill Shankly is too far removed from our era to be considered. 5 Top-Class Great Managers Who Have Never Managed To Win The UEFA Champions League #5 Massimiliano Allegri (Milan, Juventus) In 2014, when Allegri was hired to lead Juventus, many people scratched their heads. Remember that his tenure at Milan began with a Serie A title in 2011, but ended with the team in 11th place and a disorganized mess due to his leadership. Still, Allegri deepened Juve's domestic supremacy and transformed the club into a European powerhouse during his first stint in command; however, things changed when he returned in 2021. In spite of losing important players like Paul Pogba, he guided the Old Lady to two Champions League finals, in 2015 and 2017. Allegri has not been able to remove his name from this list and solidify his position as one of Europe's top current managers despite the abundance of quality Juve has had in the previous decade. #4 Bobby Robson (Porto, Newcastle) Maybe the best English manager ever to work abroad. Robson, who was known as a father figure to his players, led England to the World Cup semi-finals and won a slew of tournaments in England, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands without ever learning the first names of many of their players. He also had some success on the European stage. After winning the UEFA Cup with Ipswich in 1981, Barcelona—led by Ronaldo—won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1997. Robson took his local side Newcastle into the Champions League twice. #3 Valeriy Lobanovskyi (Dynamo Kiev) Lobanovskiy, a believer in science, statistics, and moments of high-pressing intensity, led the Soviet Union to second-place finishes in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups and the 1988 European Championship. Although he had a successful career elsewhere, it was his three stints at Dynamo Kiev that earned him 13 league championships and two Cup Winners' Cups. If he had made it to the finals of the European Cup or Champions League, he would be at the top of this list. Nevertheless, Lobanovskiy's best effort came in 1999, when his superb Kiev team, led by Shevchenko, reached the semi-finals before suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich. #2 Arsene Wenger (Monaco, Arsenal) Notwithstanding Arsenal's recent decade-long slide (although one punctuated by three FA Cup winners), Arsène Wenger's brilliance had already been proven at that point. All three Premier League championships were won with dazzling flair and on a very little budget, putting some of Europe's biggest spenders to disgrace. Wenger was instrumental in Arsenal's modernization, although his results in Europe were inconsistent. There were impressive wins, such as a 5-1 thrashing of Inter and a victory against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, but never a championship season. Under Wenger's guidance, Arsenal advanced to the UEFA Cup final in 2000 (when they lost on penalty kicks to Galatasaray) and the club's first Champions League final in 2006. (a 2-1 loss to Barcelona). A manager with more Champions League victories than anybody save Alex Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti came close but fell short. #1 Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid) There is still time for Simeone to leave his managerial mark, but if we look just at the coaches who have been the closest to winning the Champions League before seeing it snatched away, he is by and away the best. We're not talking about the Eurovision Song Contest here, but Simeone came so close to winning Europe's top award twice. When Atletico Madrid were leading Real Madrid 1-0 in 2014, it took Sergio Ramos three minutes into stoppage time to tie the game. Atleti, exhausted by the match, were punished in overtime. Two years later, Los Colchoneros got even closer, falling to Madrid in a penalty shootout. Very painful, but Simeone has now shown that he is more than a near miss. He won the Copa del Rey in 2013, then won La Liga in 2014 and 2021, ending Real's dominance in Spain. The fact that he has won the Europa League twice (in 2011 and 2018) demonstrates that he is a remarkable coach, even though he does not yet have the coveted big-eared trophy.

5 Top-Class Great Managers Who Have Never Managed To Win The UEFA Champions League

#3 Valeriy Lobanovskyi (Dynamo Kiev)

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#3 Valeriy Lobanovskyi (Dynamo Kiev)

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