What do Jurgen Klopp and Diego Simeone have in common? Both have lost two UEFA Champions League finals – but where do they rank among the best managers to never win the competition?
Click through the gallery to see the 12 best managers who have failed to lift the UCL trophy so far.
Klopp reached the final with Borussia Dortmund back in 2013, but was beaten by Bayern Munich, while in 2018 his Liverpool side lost to Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid. As a consequence the big title is missing from Klopp’s trophy cabinet. In fact, the German is yet to pick up any trophy since joining the Reds.
Simeone, too, has lost two UCL finals, namely the 2014 and 2016 editions. Both times Atletico Madrid came short of cross-town rivals Real Madrid. While in 2014 a 93rd minute header by Sergio Ramos secured extra-time for Real before they ended up winning 4-1, two years later the Rojiblancos lost on penalties. With Simeone literally being just two minutes away from lifting the illustrious trophy, FourFourTwo ranked him the best manager to never win the competition.
He is followed by Arsene Wenger, who lost the 2006 final with Arsenal against FC Barcelona. The Frenchman’s high rank can be explained by him picking up more wins in the tournament than anyone else aside from Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti, who both lifted the trophy during their careers.
According to FourFourTwo rank Valeriy Lobanovskyi, who is the third most successful coach in European history in terms of trophies won, completes the podium despite the Urkainian never actually reaching the final.
Klopp appears in fourth position, followed by Bobby Robson and Massimiliano Allegri – another manager to have lost two Champions League finals. The Italian was defeated in the 2015 and 2017 editions by FC Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, but he will hope Cristiano Ronaldo can score him to the 2018/19 title.
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Other names on the list include Antonio Conte and Unai Emery, and you can find the complete ranking in the gallery above.
Note: FourFourTwo only considered coaches, who have actually managed teams in the Champions League – post 1992. That’s why Joachim Low, for example, does not feature.
Who do you think is the best coach to have failed to win the UCL so far? Have your say in the comments section below.
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