The UEFA Champions League is back in action. The new UCL season starts tonight. UCL is the only competition in the world that creates excitement and anxiety for everyone. Whether they are players, coaches or fans. Emotion as such that the new season begins, how to face it. What to expect from this season. Anxiety about what will happen if the team loses, how will I do in the UCL, etc.
UCL is always considered a more tactical and mental game than a real physical one. We have seen UCL win masterclasses and pure tactical geniuses quite often. Many mind games are played during UCL to keep your opponent guessing.
https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague?s=20&t=MBPob6ZhtuUTEe5C7YGYLA
For all these mind games and tactical perspectives, you need a pure genius at the helm. Managers therefore play a very important role in the UCL campaign. Managers and their tactics often decide how well their team will perform.
With the next UCL cycle starting tonight. We decided to take a look at the most successful trainers in the history of this competition.
The 3 most successful managers at UCL
Charles Ancelotti
Don Carlo as he is famously known. He is one of the most successful managers in UCL history. Carlo Ancelotti has won the UEFA Champions League 4 times, the most by any manager in the history of this tournament.
Ancelotti began his coaching career in 1995 with a Serie B team where he promoted them in one season. He then went on to manage Parma and Juventus before joining AC Milan. With AC Milan he made history in the following seasons.
In 2003, Ancelotti managed to lead Milan to the Uefa Champions League title for the first time in his career. Since then, Milan has been constantly acting under his command. They reached 2 finals and a semifinal in the following seasons. Then in 2007 Carlo Ancelotti led Milan to another UCL trophy. Where they successfully avenged Liverpool for their 2005 loss in the final by defeating this time and winning the champions league trophy.
Then, in 2013, he was appointed coach of Real Madrid and in the same year, Don Carlo managed to win his third Champions League this time with Madrid. Ancelotti became the second manager after Liverpool’s Bob Paisley to win the competition three times and the first man to win the Champions League twice as a player and three times as manager to that day. Last year he came back as manager of Real Madrid and then led them to the Champions League title again for 14 times and thus became the only manager to win the UCL 4 times with 2 different teams.
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane has a special connection with the Champions League. He has a unique record of his name with respect to UCL. He is the only coach in the history of the Champions League to win it 3 consecutive times in 3 consecutive years.
Zidane began his coaching career back in 2014 with Real Madrid B. Then soon in 2016 after the dismissal of Rafa Benítez. Zinedine Zidane has been appointed coach of the Real Madrid first team. After defeating Atlético de Madrid 5-3 on penalties on May 28, Real Madrid won its eleventh Champions League championship, a feat known as “La Undécima”.
Real Madrid became the first team to successfully defend their title in the UEFA Champions League era and the first to win back-to-back championships in the tournament on June 3, 2017, when the club defeated Juventus in the final. of the Champions League. Real Madrid won the Champions League again in 2018 by defeating Liverpool. With this victory, Real Madrid became the only team to complete a hat-trick in the Champions League. Also with this win, Zinedine Zidane’s name entered the record books as the only manager in the history of the game to win 3 UCLs in a row.
Jose Mourinho
For that third position on their list, we had many candidates and all of the managers were equally excellent and talented. But we chose to go with José Mourinho. To choose the “Special” there has to be a special reason. José Mourinho has won a Champions League with Porto. Mourinho began his career as a manager at Benfica in 2000 before working as an assistant to legends like Van Gaal. Mourinho had a pretty good first season as first team manager. Then, in 2003, Porto chose her to be his coach.
In 2003, Mourinho won his first Primera Liga with a 27–5–2 record, 11 points clear of Benfica. Then that season, Mourinho won the final prize The Uefa Champions League defeating Monaco. That year Porto had eliminated Manchester United, Lyon and Deportivo de La Coruña and their only defeat in the competition was against Real Madrid in the group stage. Winning a Champions League with Porto was a fantastic achievement. Because of his victory, he was considered one of the best managers.
After great success at Chelsea, he moved to Italy, where he was announced as manager of Inter Milan in 2008. In his first season, he won the Scudetto. But on the big stage of Europe, he was considered disappointing. The following season, the 2009-10 season was a highlight in Europe. On April 6, 2010, José Mourinho became the first coach in history to lead three different teams to the Champions League semi-finals.
José Mourinho reached the Champions League final for the second time in his career on 28 April 2010. After Inter defeated UCL champions Barcelona 3–2 overall, despite of Inter’s 1-0 defeat at the Camp Nou, which Mourinho described as “the most beautiful”. defeat of my life.” That year he won the Serie A and also the Italian Cup. On 22 May 2010, Inter won the 2010 Champions League after beating Bayern Munich 2–0, and in doing so became the first Italian club to complete the treble.
For more such articles, click here.
