This article will tell you about some of the greatest managers in La Liga history
Football players perhaps have it easier than managers in the annals of history. A football manager must either lead his team to amazing heights over an extended period of time to be regarded as an all-time great, or alter the intricacies of the game with an invention that has profound effects on football’s future.
Over the years, the La Liga has had both highs and lows, but it has consistently managed to create characters that have had a significant impact on the game.
Spain has produced some of the best coaches the beautiful game has ever seen, having amassed more than a century’s worth of practical coaching knowledge.
1. Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff had a successful playing career before taking over Ajax in 1985, which had him into a renowned managerial career.
The Dutch manager, however, is mainly regarded for his time while managing FC Barcelona. From 1988 until 1996, he oversaw Barcelona, leading the team to four La Liga championships, three Spanish Super Cups, the Copa Del Rey, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, and the club’s first European Cup.
Two years later, Barcelona lost to AC Milan in the European Cup finals despite being the overwhelming favorite to win.
Cruyff received the FIFA Order of Merit in 2010 for his noteworthy contributions to football. The number of players and coaches who were directly or indirectly impacted by Cruyff, a proponent of the well-known “Total Football” ideology, is too large to count.
2. Pep Guardiola
Before finally retiring in 2006, Guardiola played for Brescia, Roma, Al Ahli, and Dorados after leaving Barcelona in 2001.
He was granted the chance to oversee Barca B, Barcelona’s reserve team, in 2007. After only one season, he was given the reins of the first team after winning the Tercera Division championship.
He managed Barcelona’s first team for one season, winning the La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and Champions League trebles.
That year, Barcelona won all six titles. He won the Champions League twice and La Liga three times during his four years as Barcelona’s head coach. He received the FIFA World Coach of the Year award in 2011.
3. Miguel Munoz
Miguel Muoz is likely the best manager Real Madrid has ever had in the history of the greatest club there has ever been.
Muoz was a member of Real Madrid’s first three European Cup-winning teams. After leaving the game in 1958, he was asked by club president Santiago Bernabeau to take over as manager of Real Madrid’s reserve team the following year. Real Madrid won their sixth European Cup under his leadership in 1960.
He took over as coach of the first team in 1959. Muoz became the first manager to have won the trophy as both a player and a manager by raising Real’s fifth European Cup.
Los Blancos won LaLiga five times in a run (1961–1955) under Muoz, making them the first team to ever win five championships in a row. Real Madrid won the European Cup once more under his leadership in 1966.
He was the team’s longest-serving and most successful coach when he left in 1974 after 16 seasons. He played for Granada, Las Palmas, and Sevilla for seven more seasons before taking charge of the Spanish National Team.
4. Luis Aragonés
In 1974, Los Rojiblancos hired Luis Aragonés, the club’s all-time leading scorer for Atletico Madrid. Soon after he was hired as Atletico’s manager, he announced his retirement from playing.
Aragonés guided Atletico to victory in the Intercontinental Cup in his first season as manager (1974). Atletico won the Copa Del Generalismo and La Liga under his leadership in 1976 and 1977, respectively.
After six seasons at Atletico, he took over Betis, but his tenure there was short; in 1982, he returned to Atletico. Atletico won the Copa del Rey and finished second in La Liga during his second stint at the club in the 1984–85 season.
In 1987, he was hired to lead FC Barcelona, where he won the Copa Del Rey. The following year, he took over Espanyol Sevilla, a local rival, and returned to Atletico for a third stint.
He won the Copa Del Rey with Atletico and left Los Colchoneros in 1993 for the third. He went on to manage, Sevilla, Valencia, Betis, Oviedo, Mallorca.
Aragonés became the club’s fourth manager while Atletico was playing in Segunda Division. The team was promoted back to the Primera Division under his leadership.
In 2003, he made his ultimate departure from the team and went back to Mallorca. He accepted the position of manager of the Spanish National Team in 2004. He led Spain to victory in the 2008 UEFA Euro.
5. Zinedine Zidane
Some managers seek to win just one Champions League during their entire managing careers. Zidane, who has won it three times in a row in his first three seasons as a manager, is another option. He formerly served as the head coach of Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s reserve squad.
Although it seems like Zidane’s coaching career has only just begun, he has already achieved more success than most managers could ever hope to.
Benitez was fired from his position as manager of Real Madrid in January 2016, and Zidane was named as his replacement. Zidane made his resignation known five days after his team won the third straight UCL.
Also Read: 10 Biggest Controversies In La Liga History
Santiago Solari was fired as Real Madrid’s manager in 2019 as a result of various dismal performances across all categories. His faults include the Copa Del Rey elimination, a 12-point deficit in La Liga, and an unexpected Champions League loss to Ajax. Zidane then took over as manager of Real Madrid for a second time.