Making a list of the best coaches in Spain today includes names like Carlo Ancelotti, who manages one of the biggest and most important teams in the world: Real Madrid. However, you will be surprised to find other names from teams with smaller budgets, such as Girona.
After all, a good coach is capable of pitting under-invested teams against multi-million dollar teams, right? And when that happens, we understand why soccer is such an exciting sport!
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TOP 6 best coaches in Spain today
Here is a list of the best coaches in Spain today:
- Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
- Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
- Hansi Flick (Barcelona)
- Míchel Sánchez (Girona)
- Ernesto Valverde (Athletic de Bilbao)
- Marcelino García (Villarreal)
Below you will find the history, curiosities, achievements, personal awards and titles of each of the best coaches in Spain today.
1. Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
Named by France Football as one of the 10 best soccer coaches in history, Carlo Ancelotti could not be missing in the list of the best Spanish coaches.
The Italian is the coach with the most victories in UEFA inter-club tournaments, with a total of 8), as well as being the coach with most victories in the UEFA Champions League, winning 5 times.
But it doesn’t stop there: Ancelotti is one of the few coaches to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs (Milan and Real Madrid).
As a result, he has become one of the most respected and successful coaches in the history of soccer, having built his coaching career at clubs such as Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Napoli, before taking charge of Real Madrid.
With the team of the galacticos, he won the Champignon League in 2023/24, cementing his name as one of the best coaches in Spain today.
Main titles as Real Madrid coach
- Copa del Rey: 2013-14 and 2022-23
- UEFA Champions League: 2013-14, 2021-22 and 2023-24
- UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2022 and 2024
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2014 and 2022
- Spanish Super Cup: 2021-22 and 2023-24
- La Liga: 2021-22 and 2023-24
2. Diego Simeone (Atlético de Madrid)
The Argentine Diego “Cholo” Simeone is one of the great symbols of the recent history of Atlético de Madrid.
As a player, he was one of the best Spanish midfielders, with stints at Atlético Madrid itself. However, it is as a coach where he has cemented his name in the team’s history.
Simeone is known for his intense style of play and his ability to create defensively solid teams. Under his guidance, Atletico broke the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.
Simeone has even been recognized as La Liga’s best coach on three occasions: 2013, 2014 and 2016.
Titles won as Atlético de Madrid coach.
- UEFA Europa League: 2011-12 and 2017-18
- UEFA Super Cup: 2012 and 2018
- King’s Cup: 2012-13
- La Liga: 2013-14 and 2020-21
- Spanish Super Cup: 2014
3. Hansi Flick (Barcelona)
Former coach of Bayern Munich and the German national team in 2024, Hansi Flick has become the new coach of Barcelona.
Still starting his career with the Spanish team, the coach comes to the team as a strong name, especially for his performance at Bayern Munich, where he won a historic sextuple in 2020, winning six titles in one year, becoming only the second coach to win a sextuple, a feat that only Pep Guardiola had previously achieved with Barcelona.
Before arriving at Bayern, he was assistant coach of the German national team, which he helped win the 2014 World Cup (and the fateful 7-1 drubbing of Brazil).
Although he has not won any titles with Barcelona, the elected UEFA Coach of the Year: 2019-20 is already one of the best coaches in Spain.
Read also: All about the Bundesliga: the definitive guide to the Bundesliga.
4. Míchel Sánchez (Girona)
Coaching a small team in a league that boasts the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid is a big challenge for any coach, but Míchel Sánchez has done an excellent job!
Currently one of Spain’s top coaches, he worked for several clubs in the country before joining the coaching elite, including Rayo and Huesca.
At Girona since 2021, he is known for his modern tactical approach and for being a specialist in leading teams to good campaigns, beating the big La Liga champions.
The year he took over Girona he led the club back to the top of Spanish soccer, and the following season they finished 10th in the league!
In 2023/24 he beat the country’s biggest clubs, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, and fought his way to the top of the table.
5. Ernesto Valverde (Athletic Bilbao)
Current Copa del Rey champion, Ernesto Valverde had a solid career as a player, mainly with Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. As a coach, he has worked for several clubs, including the two Spanish clubs he played for.
Valverde is known for his tactical intelligence and his way of managing complex dressing rooms.
In his career, he has had two stints as coach of Barcelona, with whom he won La Liga, but was sacked after a sequence of irregular results.
Something similar happened to him during his time at Athletic Bilbao, the team he currently coaches -after all, this is his third stint at the club-.
With good results, including the victory in the Copa del Rey, he has established himself as one of the best coaches in Spain today.
Athletic de Bilbao’s track record as coach
- Spanish Super Cup: 2015
- King’s Cup: 2023-24
Major titles as Barcelona coach.
- La Liga: 2017-18, 2018-19
- King’s Cup: 2017-18
- Spanish Super Cup: 2018
Read also: Spanish soccer: discover the 10 worst teams in Spain.
6. Marcelino García Toral (Villarreal).
Marcelino García has coached at clubs such as Villarreal, Sevilla and Valencia, but is best remembered for his time at the latter, where he won the Copa del Rey in 2019, defeating Barcelona in the final!
Thanks to this, he has become one of the few coaches to have managed to win titles with Valencia in a recent period of crisis at the club.
Marcelino has a reputation for being a very tactical coach, focused on defensive organization and quick transitions.
As we have seen above, with the best coaches in Spain, even teams with small budgets are able to do a good job.
Now that you know who the best coaches in Spain are, you can follow the league and bet on the teams that have the best chances of winning and, above all, on those that are capable of pulling off a surprise! Take advantage also to get to know them:
- 8 best midfielders in Spain: the best in the world in La Liga.
- TOP 5 England’s best managers this season.
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