in ,

Every manager to win the Champions League with a Premier League club

Chelsea are the new champions of Europe after beating Manchester City in the Champions League final last weekend, the west London side winning the trophy for the second time.

Kai Havertz’s goal proved the difference in the third all-Premier League final, with Thomas Tuchel’s impressive improvement of the Blues since his arrival in January ending with club football’s biggest prize.

Tuchel guided Paris Saint-Germain to the final of last season’s competition before triumphing with Chelsea this time around, becoming the fifth manager to win the Champions League with a Premier League club.

 

Here is every manager to win the Champions League with an English side.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson was the first manager to win the Champions League with a Premier League side and the only man to have achieved the feat twice, guiding Manchester United to European success in both 1999 and 2008.

The first of those triumphs came in exhilarating fashion as stoppage-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Bayern Munich, completing a historic treble-winning season in the most dramatic of fashion.

United had earlier claimed Premier League and FA Cup success before securing Champions League glory, in arguably the most impressive season English football has ever witnessed.

The victory was the Red Devils’ second in the competition after winning the European Cup in 1968, and the club were crowned champions of Europe for a third time on the 40th anniversary of their maiden success.

United faced Chelsea in the first-ever all-Premier League final in Moscow, triumphing on penalties in the Russian capital after a 1-1 draw at a rain-soaked Luzhniki Stadium.

Ferguson also guided the Red Devils to two further finals in 2009 and 2011, though his side were beaten by Barcelona on both occasions.

Rafael Benitez

Liverpool‘s incredible Istanbul comeback against AC Milan saw Rafael Benitez join Ferguson as a Champions League-winning Premier League manager, ending his debut season on Merseyside with club football’s most prestigious trophy.

Few fancied Liverpool to make much of an impression on the 2004/05 tournament, though Benitez and his team progressed through the latter stages by beating Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus, before eliminating Chelsea – a side which finished 37 points ahead of the Reds in the league – in the semi-finals.

Benitez’s side’s run appeared set to end in disappointing fashion as Milan raced into a three-goal half-time final lead, only for Liverpool to fight back in the most entertaining showpiece of the Champions League era.

Embed from Getty Images

Goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso brought Liverpool level within the space of just six second-half minutes, the Reds riding their luck to take the final into a shoot-out before emerging victorious following Jerzy Dudek’s wobbly-legged heroics.

Roberto Di Matteo

Another English side who upset the odds to become European champions, Chelsea stood on the brink of elimination in the last 16 before turning around a 3-1 first-leg deficit to beat Napoli, with the west Londoners having sacked manager Andre Villas-Boas following that defeat in Italy.

Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo oversaw the fightback and Chelsea’s subsequent progression to the final, beating holders and heavy favourites Barcelona in the semi-finals.

Chelsea then faced the daunting task of meeting Bayern Munich in their own Allianz Arena for the final, their task made even greater by the absence of John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles through suspension.

Against the odds, however, it was the Blues who emerged triumphant to become London’s first champions of Europe, Didier Drogba’s dramatic late equaliser forcing extra-time after Thomas Muller’s opener seven minutes from time.

Petr Cech saved a penalty from Arjen Robben in the added period to force a shoot-out, with the Czech goalkeeper twice thwarting Bayern from the spot to provide the platform for Drogba to win the Champions League for Chelsea.

Remembering Chelsea’s 2012 UCL winners that smash-and-grabbed Bayern on their own patch

Jurgen Klopp

Defeat for Liverpool in the 2018 final had seen questions asked of Jurgen Klopp’s record in major finals, but the Reds bounced back the following season to reach a second successive showpiece.

Liverpool faced Tottenham in an all-English clash in Madrid and got off to the perfect possible start, Mohamed Salah netting from the penalty spot in the second minute following a contentious handball from Moussa Sissoko in the opening seconds.

In truth, this was a final that lacked the drama of the Merseyside club’s previous Champions League success in Istanbul 14 years earlier, with the result – and trophy – assured after substitute Divock Origi rifled home a second three minutes from time.

Origi had been the hero of a chaotic and thrilling comeback against Barcelona in the semi-finals and his contribution saw the Jurgen Klopp era get up-and-running with the German’s first piece of Anfield silverware.

Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel became just the fifth man to win the Champions League with a Premier League side, guiding Chelsea to a second success in the competition in 2021.

Chelsea had been struggling for consistency before Frank Lampard’s dismissal in January, with former PSG manager Tuchel installed as head coach at Stamford Bridge.

The German has overseen an incredible transformation with the Blues’ defensive strength leading to huge improvement, securing a top-four finish in the Premier League and reaching the finals of both the FA Cup and Champions League.

Embed from Getty Images

That latter showpiece ended in the ultimate success as Chelsea beat Manchester City to be crowned champions of Europe again, summer signing Kai Havertz ending his debut season in dream fashion after scoring the only goal of the game in Porto.

Read – 10 of the most iconic Champions League final moments ever

Read Also – Iconic Performances: Petr Cech’s heroic showing in the 2012 UCL final

Subscribe to our social channels:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments