Luis Enrique Tops Annual Ranking of Europe's Best Football Coaches

Tor-Christian Carlsen, a former Maccabi Haifa player and current ESPN analyst, released his annual ranking of the top 30 European club football managers. The list, compiled after consulting football industry professionals including coaches, sporting directors, CEOs, and scouts, evaluated coaches based on six criteria: coaching ability, style, player management, communication, history and achievements, and an "X factor." The latter two criteria were weighted less heavily.

Luis Enrique of Paris Saint-Germain secured first place with 87 points, praised for maintaining PSG as the team to beat despite less dominance on the pitch. Pep Guardiola, currently without a club, ranked second with 85 points, followed by Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta in third with 78 points. Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid was ranked 18th with 63 points, while José Mourinho, coaching Real Madrid, was placed 24th with 60 points. Ruben Amorim of AC Milan finished last at 30th with 56 points.

The ranking only included coaches who had managed a senior club team for at least one full season, excluding national team coaches and those inactive for over a year. Carlsen initially considered about 50 coaches before narrowing the list to 30 based on expert feedback. The list reflects both current performance and overall impact in European football for the 2023-2024 season.