The European Cup was inaugurated in the late 1950s and was played as a knockout tournament until the early 1990s.
But ahead of the 1992/93 season, the continent’s premier club competition underwent significant changes.
Rebranded as the Champions League, it now featured the top teams from across Europe, with a group format followed by a knockout phase.
Here, a look at the managers who have lifted the famous trophy in the Champions League era…
19. Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo is one of the more surprising winners of the Champions League, with the former Italy midfielder having only been in charge as Chelsea’s caretaker manager following the departure of André Villas-Boas.
Di Matteo led the Blues to the trophy, beating Barcelona in the semi-finals and then edging out Bayern Munich on penalties in the final at the Allianz Arena. He was appointed as manager on a permanent basis in the summer, but was sacked in November.
18. Raymond Goethals
Raymond Goethals became the first coach to win the Champions League after the competition was rebranded as he led Marseille to the title in 1993.
The veteran Belgian boss was in charge as OM beat AC Milan 1-0 to win the title, having narrowly missed out on penalties to Red Star Belgrade in the 1991 European Cup final. Goethals left in the summer of 1993 and OM were stripped of their French title after it emerged that three Valenciennes players had been offered money to underperform in a key match against Marseille. The club were not allowed to defend their Champions League crown, either.
17. Hansi Flick
Hansi Flick led Bayern Munich to the treble in 2020 and the Bavarians’ run to Champions League glory included an unbelievable 8-2 win over Barcelona in the quarter-finals, which were played in one-off ties in Lisbon due to Covid-19.
Flick’s side went on to beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final. And after a difficult spell in charge of Germany, he was appointed as Barça coach to replace Xavi in 2024.
16. Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel took Paris Saint-Germain to the Champions League final in 2020, but ended up on the losing side as PSG were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
Back in Portugal the following year, Tuchel masterminded a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the 2021 final in Porto to give Chelsea their second title.
15. Frank Rijkaard
One of the best midfielders of his generation and a three-time European Cup winner as a player, Frank Rijkaard led Barcelona to the trophy in 2006.
Rijkaard’s Barça beat Arsenal 2-1 in the final in Paris after going behind to Arsène Wenger’s side, with Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti scoring the goals for the Catalan club.
14. Rafael Benítez
Rafa Benítez became Liverpool manager in the summer of 2004 and the Spaniard led the Reds to Champions League glory in his first season at Anfield.
Liverpool were 3-0 down at half-time in Istanbul, but came back to level at 3-3 and won on penalties on an epic night. Benítez had won the UEFA Cup at Valencia the previous season.
13. Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello led AC Milan to four Serie A titles in the space of five seasons in the early 1990s and the ex-England manager was also a Champions League winner in 1994.
Capello’s Milan thrashed Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona 4-0 in a one-sided final in Athens and the Rossoneri went on to beat Arsenal in the UEFA Super Cup the following February.
12. Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal led Ajax to Champions League glory in 1995, with victory against AC Milan sealed by a late Patrick Kluivert goal.
Van Gaal also oversaw an unbeaten season in the Eredivisie that year. The Dutchman later took Bayern Munich to the Champions League final in 2010, losing to Jose Mourinho’s Inter in Madrid.
11. Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique led Barcelona to the treble in 2015, sealed with a 3-1 win over Juventus in the Champions League final in Berlin.
Despite long spells at both Barcelona and Real Madrid in his playing days, the former midfielder was never able to win the trophy on the pitch.
10. Marcello Lippi
Marcello Lippi led Juventus to three consecutive Champions League finals in the 1990s, winning the first and losing the next two.
Lippi’s Juve defeated Ajax on penalties in the 1996 final, but were beaten by Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the following two. Lippi went on to win the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
9. Jürgen Klopp
A year after the disappointment of losing to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, Jürgen Klopp led Liverpool to the trophy with victory over Tottenham in the 2019 showpiece.
As Liverpool boss, Klopp would go on to lose the 2022 final to Real Madrid as well, while his Borussia Dortmund side were edged out by Bayern Munich at Wembley in 2013.
8. Vicente del Bosque
Long before leading Spain to World Cup and European Championship glory between 2010 and 2012, Vicente del Bosque was a two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid.
An outstanding defensive midfielder for Los Blancos in the 1970s and early 1980s, Del Bosque was an assistant for the 1998 Champions League win and head coach for the 2000 and 2002 victories before being surprisingly sacked by the club in 2003.
7. Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to 13 Premier League titles and twice lifted the European Cup with the Red Devils.
Ferguson’s side left it late to beat Bayern Munich in the 1999 final in Barcelona, completing a treble thanks to goals right at the end from Teddy Sheringam and Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The Scot was also in charge as United beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow to claim the trophy again in 2008.
6. Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld was the man in charge for Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League triumph in 1997 and went on to win the competition again at Bayern Munich four years later.
Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1 in the 1997 final, having knocked out Manchester United in the last four. But two years after that, his Bayern side lost the 1999 final at Camp Nou to United as Alex Ferguson’s side mounted a dramatic late comeback. Hitzfled was a winner again in 2001, though, as Bayern beat Valencia on penalties.
5. Jupp Heynckes
Jupp Heynckes was Real Madrid’s coach for their seventh European Cup win, which ended a 32-year drought for Los Blancos in the continental competition. The German still lost his job, though, after Madrid finished fourth in La Liga.
Heynckes was in charge of Bayern Munich as the Bavarians lost the 2012 Champions League final at home to Chelsea, but led the Bundesliga giants to a historic treble the following season.
4. José Mourinho
A year after leading Porto to the UEFA Cup, José Mourinho masterminded a Champions League win for the Portuguese club in 2004.
Six years later, Mourinho won the title for a second time as Inter coach, as part of a historic treble. He also came close with both Chelsea and Real Madrid, missing out in three semi-finals with each club.
3. Pep Guardiola
As a player, Pep Guardiola started in the Barcelona team which won the European Cup in 1992. And as coach at the Catalan club, he led the Blaugrana to the Champions League crown in 2009 and 2011.
After a number of near misses at Manchester City, the Catalan masterminded a Champions League win in 2023, which saw the Sky Blues complete a treble. It was his second treble, having led Barça to La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League titles in 2008/09.
2. Zinédine Zidane
Zinédine Zidane’s brilliant volley clinched victory for Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final, but the former French attacker would go on to make an even bigger impression as coach.
After replacing Rafa Benítez halfway through the 2015/16 season, Zidane led Los Blancos to three consecutive Champions League crowns in a historic run before departing in the summer. He later returned for a second spell, reaching the semi-finals in 2020/21 before leaving again.
1. Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti won the European Cup twice as an AC Milan player and as coach, went on to lead the Rossoneri to the title two more times in 2003 and 2007. He was also in charge as Milan lost the 2005 final to Liverpool.
Ancelotti later steered Real Madrid to La Décima, the club’s 10th European Cup, in 2014. And in his second spell at the Santiago Bernabéu, the Italian won the trophy again in 2022 and 2024.
