Masterminds

Following the 1992 transformation of Europe’s premier club tournament, some of football’s most brilliant minds have guided their squads to Champions League glory. Here's a look at every coach to lift the famous trophy.

1992/93 - Raymond Goethals

Raymond Goethals was the first manager to win the rebranded Champions League, leading Marseille to a 1-0 win over AC Milan. He left in 1993 after Marseille were stripped of their French title.

1994/95 - Louis van Gaal

Louis van Gaal led Ajax to an unbeaten season in the Dutch league before beating AC Milan in the 1995 Champions League final. Patrick Kluivert's late goal ensured a 1-0 victory.

1995/96 - Marcelo Lippi

Marcello Lippi led Juventus to three consecutive finals in the 1990s, winning the first against Ajax on penalties in 1996, before losing to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. He later also led Italy to a World Cup victory in 2006.

1996/97 - Ottmar Hitzfeld

Ottmar Hitzfeld led Borussia Dortmund to Champions League glory in 1997, beating Juventus in the final 3-1. He helped Dortmund to beat Manchester United in the final four that year, but later lost to United in the 1999 final as Bayern Munich boss.

1997/98 - Jupp Heynckes

Jupp Heynckes was the manager of Real Madrid for their seventh European Cup win in 1998, ending a 32-year drought in the European competition. His side beat Juventus 1-0, but he was still sacked after Madrid finished fourth in La Liga.

1998/99 - Alex Ferguson

Premier League icon Sir Alex Ferguson was the mastermind behind Manchester United's 1999 treble-winning season, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. His side left it late, scoring two goals in added time to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final.

1999/00 - Vicente del Bosque

Before leading Spain to World Cup and European Championship glory, Vicente del Bosque led Real Madrid to two Champions League successes. In his first in 2000, he led Madrid to a comfortable 3-0 win over La Liga rivals Valencia.

2000/01 - Ottmar Hitzfeld

Ottmar Hitzfeld was the mastermind behind another Champions League success in 2001, leading Bayern Munich to a penalty shootout win against Valencia. It was a return to glory after his heartbreaking defeat in 1999.

2001/02 - Vicente del Bosque

Vicente del Bosque led Real Madrid to his second Champions League title in 2002, beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in the final thanks to Zinedine Zidane's incredible strike. Shockingly, he was sacked in 2003.

2002/03 - Carlo Ancelotti

Italian legend Carlo Ancelotti has had numerous successes on the continent, and his first Champions League success came in 2003 with AC Milan. In a terrible final, Milan beat Juventus 3-2 on penalties at Old Trafford.

2004/05 - Rafael Benítez

Rafael Benítez arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2004 and miraculously won the Champions League in his first season. The team beat AC Milan on penalties after coming back from 3-0 down at half time. Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League that season.

2005/06 - Frank Rijkaard

One of the best players of his generation and a three-time European Cup winner as a player, Frank Rijkaard led FC Barcelona to Champions League success in 2006, beating Arsenal in the final, with Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti scoring the goals against Arsenal's ten men.

2006/07 - Carlo Ancelotti

After the disappointment of losing to Liverpool in 2005, Carlo Ancelotti got his payback in 2007, with Milan beating the Merseysiders 2-1 thanks to a brace from Filippo Inzaghi.

2007/08 - Alex Ferguson

Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies as manager of Manchester United, the second of which came in 2008 against Chelsea. It was his last before two final defeats at the hands of Barcelona.

2008/09 - Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola's innovative Tiki-Taka football was unplayable in Spain and on the continent for years. He won his first Champions League title in 2009, beating Manchester United 2-0 in the final. It was in this final that Lionel Messi announced himself on the global stage.

2009/10 - José Mourinho

José Mourinho won his second Champions League title in 2010 with Inter Milan. He led Inter to the Treble and beat Bayern Munich in the final, with Diego Milito scoring both goals. Inter secured their first Champions League title in 45 years.

2010/11 - Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola beat Sir Alex Ferguson for a second time in the 2011 Champions League final, with Barcelona beating United 3-1. Goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa wrapped up Guardiola's final European triumph with the Catalan club.

2011/12 - Roberto Di Matteo

Roberto Di Matteo is one of the most surprising managers to win the Champions League, taking over Chelsea as caretaker to lead them to semi-final success over Barcelona and beating Bayern Munich on penalties in the final. He was appointed permanent manager after the success, but was sacked by November.

2012/13 - Jupp Heynckes

After the disappointment of losing to Chelsea the previous season, Jupp Heynckes led Bayern Munich to a historic treble the following year, beating Borussia Dortmund in the final. Arjen Robben's 89th-minute goal sealed a 2-1 victory.

2014/15 - Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique secured his first Champions League win in 2015, beating Juventus 3-1 in the final with FC Barcelona. This victory in Berlin secured the treble for the Catalans, having secured victories in La Liga and the Copa del Rey.

2015/16 - Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid icon Zinedine Zidane took over from Rafael Benítez halfway through the 2015/16 season and led Real Madrid to Champions League success in three consecutive seasons, beating Atlético Madrid 5-3 on penalties in 2016.

2016/17 - Zinedine Zidane

Zidane's second Champions League triumph came against Juventus in Cardiff, with Madrid having too much firepower for the Italian side. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace, while Casemiro and Marco Asensio scored one each as Madrid won 4-1.

2017/18 - Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane continued his dominance at the top of European football in 2018, winning his third straight Champions League final, this time against Liverpool. Karim Benzema scored once, and Gareth Bale's spectacular brace sealed the 3-1 win. Zidane is the only manager since the rebranding in 1992 to win back-to-back Champions Leagues.

2018/19 - Jürgen Klopp

After losing in both 2013 and 2018, Jürgen Klopp finally led a team to Champions League success, beating Tottenham in the 2019 final in Madrid, 2-0. A Mohamed Salah penalty and a Divock Origi goal sealed the deal.

2019/20 - Hansi Flick

Hansi Flick led Bayern Munich to an incredible treble in the COVID-19-affected 2019/20 season. Bayern beat FC Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals before beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final 1-0.

2020/21 - Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel was the losing head coach in PSG's 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in 2020, but he returned stronger the next season. His Chelsea team beat Premier League rivals Manchester City in the 2021 final after going into the game as huge underdogs. Kai Havertz scored the only goal.

2021/22 - Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid in a second stint and returned to winning ways on the continent, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the final. Thibaut Courtois was the Man of the Match in the game, and Ancelotti was fortunate enough to win the title.

2022/23 - Pep Guardiola

After all the domestic success at Manchester City, the Champions League title was the only thing eluding Pep Guardiola. Guardiola masterminded City to an incredible Treble-winning campaign and beat Inter Milan in the final 1-0 thanks to Rodri's goal.

2023/24 - Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti won his fourth Champions League title in 2024, helping Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley. Dani Carvajal's and Vinicius Jr's goals sealed Ancelotti's final major trophy with Madrid.