Ranking Real Madrid’s best ever managers: Why departing Carlo Ancelotti tops Jose Mourinho, Zinedine Zindane

Carlo Ancelotti has now officially joined Brazil where he will become the manager of the national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Real Madrid are about to face one of the biggest changes in their recent history, as Ancelotti is leaving the Spanish club after becoming the most successful coach in the history of Real Madrid with 15 trophies won, including three Champions League trophies. With Xabi Alonso ready to take charge of the European giants ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer, it’s now time to take a step back and acknowledge Ancelotti’s cycle at the club for what he has done at Madrid. Where does he stand in terms of the best managers that ever managed the Spanish club? Let’s rank the top five coaches in the history of Real Madrid:    

5. Jose Mourinho (2010-2013)

This might be a strange one, but most of the Real Madrid fanbase consider Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho among the best coaches in the history of the Spanish club. This is mainly because Mourinho was able to win the La Liga title during the 2011-12 season, the first manager to beat Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona during those magical years for the Blaugrana. After his appointment in the summer 2010, only a few days after winning the Treble with Inter, Florentino Perez chose the Special One to bring Real Madrid back to the glory, and to try to stop the Barcelona dominance of those years. In his first year, he won the Copa del Rey beating Barcelona in the final, while the year after was able to pull off a sensational league run. 

4. Vicente Del Bosque (1994, 1996, 1999-2003)

The legendary Spanish manager was one of the most iconic coaches in the history of European soccer. At Real Madrid, Del Bosque won two LaLiga titles and most notably two Champions League trophies, including the 2001 edition with a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen thanks to the winning goal of Zinedine Zidane in the second half. Del Bosque was also an iconic player at Real Madrid where he won five La Liga titles from 1974 to 1980. Del Bosque coached Real Madrid three times over his career, twice as caretaker manager before 1999 when he came back and started one of the most successful chapter in the history of the team. As Florentino Perez was elected in 2000 for the first time, he also became the first manager of his legendary presidency. 

3. Miguel Munoz (1960-1974)

He was probably one of the most iconic figures of Spanish soccer of the 20th century. Munoz played for Real Madrid from 1948 to 1958 and won three Champions League titles as player before becoming the manager of the team in 1960, where he started one of the most successful chapters of the team. As a coach, he won two Champions Leagues in 1960 and 1966 and nine La Liga titles, among other trophies. With 601 games managed as Real Madrid coach, he still is the coach with the most games coached in the history of the club, and marked one of the most dominant cycles in the history of the game. 

2. Zinedine Zidane (2016-2018, 2019-2021)

The French manager was an icon as a player and then as a manager of the Spanish giants. When Florentino Perez appointed him to become the new coach in 2016, there were some doubts after he replaced Rafa Benitez on the Spanish bench as it was his first experience as a First Team head coach, after winning the Champions League two years earlier as an assistant manager of Carlo Ancelotti. Zidane coached Real Madrid from 2016 to 2018 and then again from 2019 to 2021, and during his spell he has won the Champions League for three years in a row from 2016 to 2018, becoming the first manager in the history of the game to make that happen. As of today, Real Madrid has been the first and only club he coached in his career. 

1. Carlo Ancelotti (2013-2015, 2021-2025)

And then, of course, Ancelotti. The Italian manager is one of the most successful managers in the history of soccer, as he has won 31 major trophies in his career in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and England. He is the only manager to win league titles in all five major European leagues and holds the record for the most Champions League titles (five) and UEFA Super Cup titles (five) as a coach. Over his two spells at Real Madrid, he was able to win the Champions League three times, the first one in 2014 when Real Madrid won against Atletico Madrid in the final for “La Decima,” the teams tenth Champions League title. He then went on to win in 2022 against Liverpool and then last year against Borussia Dortmund in London. With 15 trophies won at the club, Ancelotti has become the most decorated manager in the history of Real Madrid.