Pep Guardiola’s argument as the greatest manager of all time has gained weight after leading Manchester City to Champions League success.
Guardiola has led the Citizens to Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble success, in the process becoming just the sixth different coach to win the latter title with two different clubs.
Guardiola twice won the competition in charge of Barcelona, before guiding Manchester City to club football’s biggest prize. We’ve decided to look at the coaches to have won the UEFA Champions League with different clubs.
Appreciating The Six Managers To Win The Champions League With Different Clubs.
Ernst Happel
Ernst Happel is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, with the Austrian having had storied success with a host of clubs.
Happel made his name in charge of Feyenoord and led the side to the European Cup in 1970, as the Eredivisie side beat Celtic in the final to become the first Dutch winners of the competition.
Happel later had spells in charge of the Netherlands and Club Brugge, who he led to runners-up finishes at the 1978 World Cup and in the 1978 European Cup respectively, before becoming the first coach to win the latter competition with two different clubs at Hamburg.
Felix Magath’s goal earned Hamburg a 1-0 win over Juventus in the 1983 European Cup final in Athens and Happel celebrated a second success in the competition, 13 years after first winning the trophy at Feyenoord.
He ended his coaching career having won domestic league titles in four different countries.
Ottmar Hitzfeld
Happel’s achievement was not replicated for almost two decades, when Ottmar Hitzfeld earned his second Champions League title.
Hitzfeld had decorated success in German football and led both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich to a wealth of honours. Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles under his management during the mid-nineties, before Champions League success arrived in 1996/97.
Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, exacting revenge on the Italian side for an emphatic defeat in the UEFA Cup final four years earlier. Despite his success, friction with the board saw Hitzfeld move on and he took charge of Bayern Munich in 1998.
Hitzfeld’s first season saw Bayern lose the Champions League final to Manchester United, but the Bavarians bounced back to be crowned European champions in 2000/01. Bayern beat Valencia on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the San Siro to secure a first European Cup success in 25 years.
Hitzfeld won five Bundesliga titles, three German Cups and the Champions League across two spells in charge at Bayern.
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho announced his arrival on the big stage during the 2003/04 season after leading an unfancied Porto side to Champions League success. Porto had impressed to win the UEFA Cup the previous season, but few envisaged a repeat after stepping up to Champions League level.
A last-minute Costinha goal eliminated Manchester United in the Round of 16, before goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco and Dmitri Alenichev secured a 3-0 final win over fellow surprise package Monaco in Gelsenkirchen.
The win made Mourinho the hottest coaching property in Europe, with Porto remaining the only side from outside of Europe’s top five leagues to win the Champions League since the turn of the century.
Mourinho won back-to-back Premier League titles during a decorated spell at Chelsea, before taking charge of Inter Milan in 2008. His second season saw Mourinho lead Inter to their greatest ever campaign, as the Nerazzurri became the first Italian side to win a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble.
Diego Milito’s brace secured a 2-0 final win over Bayern Munich and Inter’s first European Cup in 45 years.
Jupp Heynckes
Jupp Henyckes’ long managerial career took in spells at leading clubs across Europe and the German won a first Champions League title in 1998.
Heynckes led Real Madrid to the 1997/98 Champions League despite a disappointing season domestically, with the Spanish side reserving their best performances for continental competition.
Predrag Mijatović’s goal secured Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Juventus in the final, despite starting as outsiders against the Turin side who were appearing in a third consecutive Champions League final.
Heynckes was sacked just eight days after that triumph however, following a fourth-place finish in La Liga. Heycnkes’ second win in the competition came more than a decade later, after returning for a second spell at former club Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians lost the 2012 final on home soil, but bounced back to win the Champions League the following season. Arjen Robben’s late goal settled the first-ever all-German final as Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at Wembley.
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is the most successful manager in the history of the European Cup/Champions League, having won the competition a record four times as a manager.
Ancelotti twice won the European Cup as a player at AC Milan, before leading the Rossoneri to success in Europe as a manager after taking charge at the San Siro.
Ancelotti’s side reached three finals in just five seasons between 2003 and 2007, winning two, with the first coming after a penalty shootout win against Juventus at Old Trafford.
Milan were were beaten in a dramatic final against Liverpool in 2004/05, but exacted revenge on the Reds with a 2-1 win against the same opposition in the 2007 final. Filippo Inzaghi scored twice in Athens as Milan were crowned European champions for a seventh time.
Ancelotti became the fifth coach to win the Champions League with different clubs in 2013/14, after leading Real Madrid to the fabled La Decima. The club’s tenth title was won after an extra-time win against city rivals Atletico Madrid, after Sergio Ramos scored a 93rd minute equaliser for Real Madrid to force the additional period.
Ancelotti later returned for a second spell at Real Madrid and led the club to a La Liga and Champions League double in 2021/22. Vinicius Junior scored the game’s only goal as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final, earning Ancelotti his fourth winners’ medal.
No coach can match that record, with Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola all on three.
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has etched his name further into the fabric of the Champions League after leading Manchester City to a maiden triumph in the competition.
Guardiola’s team edged out Inter Milan to be crowned European champions for the first time, with Rodri scoring the decisive goal in the club’s 1-0 in Istanbul.
