Top 10 International Managers

jonjoward1998
Jul 23, 2025
6 min read

International management is different to club management as international managers are not with their players every day, and will therefore manage them in a different way.

There are some managers who are better suited to international management like Roberto Martinez and Gareth Southgate for example.

Martinez did win the FA Cup with Wigan in 2013, but he didn't get the most out of the Everton side he managed and since he's been managing at international level, I think he's become a better manager as he led Belgium to a 3rd placed finish at the 2018 World Cup, and Portugal to Nations League glory last month.

Southgate meanwhile got relegated with Middlesbrough in 2009, but he took England to two Euros finals in 2021 and 2024, and a World Cup semi final in 2018.

There are still some managers who have excelled at both club and international management and a few of them are on the list.

But I feel that there are a lot of managers who are more suited to international management than club management due to their management styles.

Here is the list:

Joachim Low

Vicente Del Bosque

Franz Beckenbauer

Didier Deschamps

Alf Ramsey

Fernando Santos

Lionel Scaloni

Rinus Michels

Marcello Lippi

Felipe Scolari

Alf Ramsey

A lot of England fans would want to put Ramsey higher as he's the man who led England to World Cup glory in 1966.

But I had to put him down in 10th because he didn't win as much as the other managers on the list, nor was he able to carry the success from 66 into other tournaments.

He will however always hold a place in English hearts because of him leading England to World Cup glory which is what we'll remember him for.

Marcello Lippi

Lippi has two spells in charge of Italy with his first spell being by far the better of the two as he led them to World Cup glory in 2006.

He left just days after achieving that feat before coming back for his second stint a couple of years, which was far from successful as Italy went out at the Group Stages of the World Cup in 2010.

He was probably too loyal to some players from the 2006 squad during that tournament as a lot of his squad were ageing players with most of them being past their best.

He was a manager who was adaptable by being able to change systems and rotate his team depending on the opposition, and set his team up to be very solid defensively. He showed both traits during Italy's World Cup winning campaign in 2006 and both were a key part of Italy's success.

Franz Beckenbauer

Beckenbauer as a lot of people will know was one of the greatest players to play the game and probably the greatest defender to play the game.

He was also a top manager as he led West Germany to two World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990 respectively with the latter being the one he won.

He also led them to the semi finals of Euro 88 where they were beaten by eventual winners Holland in between those two World Cup's.

As a manager, he was someone who was able to change his tactics depending on the opposition, and set his teams up to dominate possession and be organised defensively.

Fernando Santos

Santos has managed three countries during his managerial career in Greece, Portugal and Poland, the latter of which he didn't last very long.

He led Greece out of the group stages at both tournaments he managed them at in Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, where they were massive underdogs in both.

He got the Portugal job off the back of his time with Greece and led them to glory at Euro 2016, despite drawing all three of their group games.

His teams have been known for being organised and difficult to beat defensively, and whilst he has had success with this style, he has at times been criticized for setting his team up in that way as he's often prioritised the defence over the attack.

Rinus Michels

Michels had four spells in charge of Holland with his third being the most successful as he led the Dutch to glory at Euro 88.

He managed the Dutch at three major tournaments including Euro 88 and he led them far in all of them as he took them to the World Cup final in 1974, where they lost to Germany, and the semi finals of Euro 92, where they were beaten on penalties by eventual winners Denmark.

He was the manager who created 'total football' which was a system that allowed player to play freely and take up positions of other players on the pitch.

Felipe Scolari

Scolari had two spells in charge of Brazil with his first being the more successful as he led them to World Cup glory in 2002.

His second spell in charge wasn't as successful as Brazil were humiliated 7-1 by Germany in the semi finals of the 2014 World Cup, a tournament he was tasked with winning the moment he returned for his second spell.

He did win the Confederations Cup during that second spell in 2013, but that competition didn't really determine anything and no longer exists.

In between his two spells in charge of Brazil, he managed Portugal who he led to the final of Euro 2004, where they were beaten by Greece, the semi finals of the 2006 World Cup and the Quarter Finals of Euro 2008.

Didier Deschamps

Deschamps has had a successful time in charge of France as he's led them to two World Cup finals, one of which he won in 2018, and a Euros final in 2016 alongside success in the Nations League in 2021.

France were a team who weren't really going anywhere when he took over and since then, he's taken them back to where they should be as one of the top teams in world football.

He's set to leave his role as France manager next year after the World Cup and he'll no doubt want to go out on a high by winning that tournament in North America.

Joachim Low

Low turned Germany into a side who always delivered in major tournaments as he consistently led them to the semi finals or beyond in all but two of the tournaments he managed them.

He led Germany to two finals in Euro 2008 and the 2014 World Cup with the latter being the one he won. He also led them to three semi finals in the 2010 World Cup and the Euros in 2012 and 2016 respectively.

Germany were one of the best teams in the world under his management and were always among the favourites to win major tournaments.

Lionel Scaloni

Scaloni has won three major tournaments with Argentina in two Copa America's in 2021 and 2024 respectively, and the World Cup in 2022.

Argentina were a mess when he took over off the back of their disastrous World Cup campaign in 2018, and he fixed the mess by bringing through younger players, and playing a system that got the best out of Lionel Messi.

He's been the only Argentina manager who has been able to work with Messi by not just playing a system to help him thrive, but by building a good team around him.

He did have his doubters when he took over due to his lack of managerial experience at the time, but he proved his doubters wrong by achieving the success he did.

Vicente Del Bosque

Del Bosque had to be my no.1 because of the team he had with Spain and the success he achieved with that incredible team.

He took over Spain after they won Euro 2008 under Luis Aragones, and he followed up that success by leading them all the way at the next two tournaments in the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

He both turned into and established Spain as the dominant force in international football by winning those tournaments back-to-back whilst playing an attractive style of football.

MY TOP 10: