Who is the greatest football manager of all time? ChatGPT names top 10 | OneFootball

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The 10 greatest managers of all time. A topic that has been debated in pubs up and down the country since the origins of football. But now, courtesy of The Mirror, we can all rest easy as everyone’s favourite (absolutely terrifying) revolutionary invention has settled the debate for us.

Using technology none of us here at GIVEMESPORT could begin to understand, AI has ranked the 10 greatest football managers of all time, but who makes the list, and which big names miss out? Let's take a look! And just remember, we haven't chosen these 10, so don't hate us!

10 Valeriy Lobanovskyi

Growing up in the Soviet era of science, Lobanovskyi worked in heating engineering before turning his hand to football. As a manager, the Ukrainian was considered ahead of his time, being dubbed as the first man to bring science into football, at a time when his contemporaries were still using basic training methods. Spending the majority of his career in his native Ukraine, Lobanovskyi’s career spanned over 30 years and lead to a trophy haul of 26, as per Transfermarkt, making him one of the most decorated managers in football history.

9 Sir Bobby Robson

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about Sir Bobby Robson. After a tough start to managerial life at former club Fulham, Robson would go on to join Ipswich Town. Credited as one of the early adopters of foreign talent in English football, Robson would lead Ipswich to their first-ever UEFA Cup trophy, before becoming only the second England manager, after Sir Alf Ramsey, to take the team to a World Cup semi-final. Robson went on to have an illustrious career managing the likes PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, and hometown club Newcastle accruing a total of 14 trophies throughout his 37-year management career.

8 Brian Clough

Renowned for his no-nonsense attitude and memorable quotes, Brian Clough is one of the most respected managers in English football history. After famously making wholesale changes at Derby County, which included sacking two tea ladies he caught laughing after a Derby defeat, Clough would lead the club to the Second Division title in 1969 and the First Division title in 1972. Clough would then switch allegiances to Derby’s east midlands rivals Nottingham Forest and lead the club to back-to-back European Cups, before finishing his 28-year career there.

7 Johan Cruyff

Having already pioneered one of the most famous pieces of skill in the game as a player, Johan Cruyff went on to pioneer the game of football as a manager. Dubbed the father of modern football, Cruyff’s commitment to total football earned him worldwide plaudits as a manager. The Dutchman only managed two clubs in his career, his beloved Ajax and Barcelona, in which his progressive style paved the way for two of the best ball-playing clubs in football history.

6 Arrigo Sacchi

Revered for his innovativeness, Sacchi is widely considered one of the greatest managers in football history. Having won the Serie A title in his debut season with AC Milan, the Italian went on to dominate European football by winning successive European Cups in 1989 and 1990. Following his success in Milan, Sacchi managed the Italian national side, where he took them to the World Cup final.

5 Bill Shankly

Widely considered Liverpool’s greatest-ever manager (sorry Jurgen) and another man famous for his quotes, which includes this beauty: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” The Scot took charge of Liverpool in 1959 while they were still in the Second Division. Over the next 15 years, Shankly established Liverpool as a dominant force in world football, winning the League title three times, the UEFA Cup once, and the FA Cup twice.

4 Sir Matt Busby

With an average age of 22, the Busby Babes were touted to dominate European football for years to come. However, in 1958, many of these players were cruelly wiped out by the Munich air disaster. Despite suffering in the aftermath of the disaster, Sir Matt Busby rebuilt the side and honoured the victims by winning the European Cup a decade later. Busby would finish his 25-year management career at United with a total of 13 trophies, even returning as interim manager after Wilf McGuinness’ departure in 1970.

3 Jose Mourinho

Having miraculously won the Champions League with Porto in 2004, Mourinho took the hot seat at Chelsea and began his tenure with a taste of what was to come: “Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one.” The Portuguese would go on to turn Chelsea into a Premier League powerhouse, before winning the Champions League with Inter Milan, beating Barcelona to La Liga with Real Madrid, and returning to win a third Premier League title with Chelsea. The Special One’s career may have dropped off in recent times, but there’s no doubting his achievements as a manager.

2 Pep Guardiola

Responsible for building arguably the greatest side in football history in the form of his 2008 to 2012 Barcelona side, Pep Guardiola is generally credited with being the brains behind tiki-taka. Having won two Champions League trophies at Barca, Pep dominated the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich before moving on to Manchester City and winning them their inaugural Champions League trophy in the 2022-23 season.

1 Sir Alex Ferguson

The man at number one needs no introduction. Having won a European trophy at Aberdeen, Fergie would move on to Manchester United in 1986. After initially struggling to turn the tide in Manchester, the Scot would go on to spend the next 27 years as manager of the club. Famous for his ability to reconstruct title-winning teams and his man-management skills, Ferguson went on to win 38 trophies at the club, including two Champions Leagues, 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and four League Cups. Despite all of these accolades, Ferguson considers one moment as his greatest achievement as a manager: "My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f****** perch. And you can print that."