One of the most intense jobs in the world of football, the Bernabéu has a relentless desire for more silverware. To get there, the modern Real Madrid hierarchy will spend huge sums to bring in the world’s best talents.
The greatest Real Madrid coaches of all time have had to find a way to juggle the egos of their absurdly highly-paid stars, meet the incredibly high standards of the club, and play a style befitting the biggest stages in Europe.
Weighing their ability to win consistently, the trophies won, their records, and the era in which they stepped up for Los Blancos, these are the best Real Madrid managers of all time ranked.
Zinédine Zidane (2016-2018, 2019-2021)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, even if his record is smudged by one of the most shocking World Cup moments, Zinédine Zidane achieved tremendous success as a head coach, too.
His path to the job was always disjointed. He initially broke through from being the reserves (Real Madrid Castilla) head coach in January 2016, following the sacking of Rafael Benítez.
That commenced Zizou’s first run of record-breaking success, which included becoming the first coach to win the UEFA Champions League – the trophy the club desires the most – three times on the bounce.
In that initial near-three-season run, the Frenchman also secured a La Liga title, the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup twice, and the Supercopa de España. Citing a need for the club to refresh, he left at the end of the 2017/18 season.
By March 2019, they needed Zizou back. Over the next two complete seasons, he’d guide Real Madrid to another La Liga title while setting the record for the number of scorers for a single team in a season (21).
Zidane’s first spell yielded 2.30 points per game on average across 149 games. While his second run sank to 2.04 from 114 games, that’s still good for joint-eighth among all Real Madrid head coaches with at least 50 games.
Beating a seemingly unstoppable FC Barcelona to the Spanish crown while collecting an unprecedented three Champions League trophies in a row has entrenched Zidane as the greatest Real Madrid coach of all time.
Carlo Ancelotti (2013-2015, 2021-2025)
The head coach with the most Champions League triumphs collected three of his five with Real Madrid over two spells in charge. His first came in 2014, later returning to add more in 2022 and 2024.
In terms of wins and points on the board, Ancelotti’s more successful spell at Real Madrid was his first, from the 2013/14 season to the close of 2014/15, when he collected 2.36 points per game in 119 matches.
While he did claim the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Supercup in this spell, he was unable to unseat Barcelona atop the La Liga table and watched on as Atlético Madrid won their first title in nearly two decades.
In his recent return stint, Ancelotti maximised the offensive might of a superb Los Blancos squad, winning La Liga and the Champions League twice in his four seasons at the helm while securing 2.25 points per game in 234 matches.
The Italian was illustrious, particularly before he took on the Brazil job to make them dark horses in the World Cup online betting markets. So, Ancelotti easily makes the cut as one of the greatest Real Madrid coaches of all time.
Miguel Muñoz (1960-1974)
Throughout the 1950s, the top flight of Spanish football was closely contested by Atlético Madrid, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, and even Sevilla and CF Valencia to a lesser extent.
Over the course of the decade, Real Madrid won four titles, Barcelona matched them, and Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Madrid split the other two.
Barcelona won the 1959/60 title on goal difference, shortly after Real Madrid brought in former career Los Blancos midfielder Miguel Muñoz to close the campaign. FCB wouldn’t win a title for another 14 years.
Muñoz immediately returned Real Madrid to the Spanish throne, won the first five league titles of his tenure, went on another three-title run from 1966/67 to 1969/70, and added the 1971/72 trophy for good measure.
When Muñoz was in charge, the La Liga betting always favoured Real Madrid. Having featured on the pitch in each of the club’s first three European Cup wins, he took them back to glory on the continent in 1959/60 and 1965/66.
His record 596 matches as one of the greatest Real Madrid coaches of all time brought the club 352 wins, 126 draws, and 118 losses for a decent 1.98 points per game long before the concept of the Galácticos came into being.
Vicente del Bosque (1994, 1996, 1999-2003)
Having played for Real Madrid for much of his career, Vicente del Bosque joined the coaching staff at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in 1984.
In 1994 and 1996, following the departures of the head coaches of the time, Del Bosque would play a cameo role as the team’s head coach, collecting 13 games and six wins on these two occasions.
A few months into the 1999/00 season, Del Bosque was asked to take the head coach job proper, commencing a four-season run of success for Real Madrid in Spain and Europe.
His first season in charge saw Deportivo La Coruña claim their legendary title, but in his first full season in charge, Del Bosque pulled the club from fifth in 1999/00 to first in 2000/01, adding a second league title in 2002/03.
While the epic underdog story took domestic headlines in 2000, Del Bosque did manage to secure Real Madrid the European title that year, and again in 2001/02. So, each season, he’d switch between Spanish and European glory.
Cemented as one of the most successful and greatest Real Madrid coaches of all time by 2003, he’d go on to steer the Spanish national team to their dominance on the world and European stage.
Leo Beenhakker (1986-1989, 1992)
Nicknamed “Don Leo” before the end of his spell, Leo Beenhakker was brought to the Bernabéu in 1986 following promising spells in charge of Ajax, Real Zaragoza, and as the interim head coach of the Netherlands.
Still fairly young for a head coach at 44-years-old, the Dutchman took Real Madrid to the title in 1986/87, and then again for the 1987/88 crown, and once more in 1988/89 to complete the hat-trick.
Most impressively about the legacy of Leo Beenhakker, which certainly adds to his standing among the greatest Real Madrid head coaches of all time, is that his 1989 win of La Liga and the Copa del Rey remains the last time the club achieved this domestic double.
