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5 Of The Best Italian Soccer Managers In History

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Matthew Adams | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 11:54 AM ET

Italian soccer’s international and club teams have won many European trophies and some World Cups. Aside from their players, they have also had some great soccer managers. Here are a few of the great Italian soccer managers.

Vittorio Pozzo

Pozzo was the finest manager of the Italian soccer team. He was the soccer manager of Italy during the 1930s for the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. These were both World Cups that Italy won. The Italian national soccer team also won Olympic gold in 1936. Pozzo is the only manager to have won two soccer World Cups.

Marcello Lippi

At the club level, Lippi’s Juventus teams were among the best in Europe. He won numerous Serie A titles with the club, and in 1996 lifted the Champions League. Juventus also reached the 2003 Champions League final, where they were beaten by AC Milan on penalties.

He was later appointed national team manager of Italy, and he took them to the 2006 World Cup. Italy were undefeated in this World Cup, reaching the final against France, which they won on penalties. With this World Cup win, Lippi left the team but later returned as Italian soccer manager for the 2010 World Cup, where they did not get past the first round. Despite this, at both club and international levels, Lippi has been a great Italian soccer manager.

Fabio Capello

Capello has managed numerous top Italian clubs. With AC Milan, Capello won a string of Serie A titles in the early 1990s. He lifted the UEFA Champions League when AC Milan hammered Barcelona in the 1994 European Cup final. Capello won a Serie A title with Roma. Beyond Italy, Capello also managed Real Madrid, where he won two La Liga titles.

Capello was also a former England manager, and they qualified for the 2010 World Cup, winning nine matches out of 10. However, a World Cup in which the Three Lions lost to Germany 4-1 in the second round disappointed England fans. Capello guided England to the 2012 European Championships before quitting the Three Lions over disagreements regarding team captaincy.

Carlo Ancelotti

Ancelotti was a former Chelsea manager who won the Premier League and FA Cup double in a first season. Yet, the Blues sacked him the season after despite a respectable second-place finish in the league. Before that, Ancelotti was AC-Milan coach, where he won one Serie A title, the Italian Cup, and the Champions League twice.

Yet, most of Ancelotti’s glory was at Real Madrid. There, he won three Champions Leagues for the giants of Madrid. Mr Ancelotti also added two La Liga titles and the Copa del Rey cups to Real Madrid’s trophy room. With 28 major trophies won, Ancelotti is up there with the all-time great managers.

Helenio Herrera

Herrera was an Italian soccer coach who made great use of Catenaccio, a modified 5-3-2 formation, and soccer tactics with his clubs. With Inter Milan, two European Cups and three Serie A titles were won. Herrera won many further honors with other clubs such as Barcelona, Roma, and Atletico Madrid. Overall, Herrera won 16 major titles with these clubs.

End of My Best Italian Soccer Managers Rant

Those are five of the best Italian managers in soccer history. They won countless trophies for their clubs and the Italian soccer team. Such coaches have been among the most influential in European soccer history.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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