Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is the most successful manager in UEFA Champions League history. The Italian coach has won the European trophy four times in his managerial career. 

The 62-year-old, who has also won two UCL titles as a player, is the only manager to win the continental championship four times.

Carlo Ancelotti’s UEFA Champions League trophies

Carlo Ancelotti has won the UEFA Champions League four times - 2003, 2007, 2014 and 2022. While the first two triumphs came with AC Milan, the next two were with Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The 2003 success and eventual disappointment

Ancelotti’s first taste of Champions League success came in 2003 when his AC Milan dream team defeated fellow Serie A side Juventus in the final. A match that went goalless in regulation time was decided through penalties. David Trezeguet, Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero faltered for Juve as Milan won the game 3-2 on penalties.

Two years later, in 2005, the same Milam team lost the UCL final to Liverpool in what is now considered as one of the finest comebacks in football history. 

Goals from Paolo Maldini and Hernan Crespo had put Milan 3-0 up within the opening 45 minutes. While the first period was all Milan, Liverpool turned the tides within six minutes, with goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimír Smicer and Xabi Alonso making it 3-3.

The game once again went to penalties where a certain Jerzy Dudek proved out to be the messiah as Milan went home without the honour.

Ancelotti completed his retribution in 2007 when the two met in the 2006-07 final. This time around, Milan managed to hold on to their 2-1 lead and the game ended in regulation time.

Carlo Ancelotti’s double with Real Madrid

His first season with Real Madrid started the Galacticos�?dominance in European football to an extent that between 2014 and 2022, the team has won five UEFA Champions League titles. 

The 2013-14 UCL final is particularly remembered for Sergio Ramos’s injury-time equalizer against Atletico Madrid. Real went on to win the final 4-1 in extra time. 

After a brief tour around Europe, the Italian returned to Madrid in 2022 and guided the team to their 14th European title, once again beating Liverpool in the final.

Before the 2021-22 triumph, Ancelotti was one among three managers to have won the UCL title three times as a coach. Former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley won the title in 1977, 1978 and 1981 while Zinedine Zidane did the same with Real Madrid in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Meanwhile, as many as 17 different managers have won the Champions League two times. This includes Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.

Most successful managers in UEFA Champions League history

Manager	Titles	Years	Team(s)
Carlo Ancelotti	4	2003, 2007, 2014, 2022	Milan, Real Madrid
Bob Paisley	3	1977, 1978, 1981	Liverpool
Zinedine Zidane	3	2016, 2017, 2018	Real Madrid
José Villalonga	2	1956, 1957	Real Madrid
Luis Carniglia	2	1958, 1959	Real Madrid
Bela Guttmann	2	1961, 1962	Benfica
Helenio Herrera	2	1964, 1965	Inter
Miguel Munoz	2	1960, 1966	Real Madrid
Nereo Rocco	2	1963, 1969	Milan
Stefan Kovacs	2	1972, 1973	Ajax
Dettmar Cramer	2	1975, 1976	Bayern Munich
Brian Clough	2	1979, 1980	Nottingham Forest
Ernst Happel	2	1970, 1983	Feyenoord, Hamburg
Arrigo Sacchi	2	1989, 1990	Milan
Ottmar Hitzfeld	2	1997, 2001	Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich
Vicente del Bosque	2	2000, 2002	Real Madrid
Alex Ferguson	2	1999, 2008	Manchester United
Jose Mourinho	2	2004, 2010	Porto, Inter
Jupp Heynckes	2	1998, 2013	Real Madrid, Bayern Munich
Pep Guardiola	2	2009, 2011	Barcelona

Featured photo: AFP / Anne-Christine Poujoulat

Sir Alex Ferguson, over the course of his legendary coaching career, won a whopping 49 titles, the most trophies by a manager in football.

The Scottish manager began his management career with East Stirling, at the age of 32. It was short-lived as he signed on his first full-time job with St Mirren in October 1974. It was during this time that he won his first title - Scottish Football League First Division in 1977.

Following his first and only managerial sack in 1978, Alex Ferguson joined Aberdeen. With three top-flight titles, four Scottish Cups, and triumphs in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup, the Scotsman built up a repertoire and soon enough English giants Manchester United came calling.

In 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson left Scotland to join United, replacing Ron Atkinson. Four years into his stint as MUFC boss, Ferguson won the FA Cup in 1990 and followed it up with a FA Charity/Community Shield (shared with Liverpool), UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup (both in 1990-91).

Ferguson ended Manchester United’s 26-year wait for a top-flight title in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992/93, and went on to win a record 13 Premier League titles until his retirement at the end of the 2012/13 campaign.

In his trophy-laden career as Red Devils boss, Alex Ferguson won five FA Cups, four League Cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles. He also won the season-opener Community Shield nine times.

Most trophies by a manager in football

Manager	Manager career	Trophies
Sir Alex Ferguson	1974-2013	49
Mircea Lucescu	1979-present	36
Pep Guardiola	2008-present	31
Valeriy Lobanovskyi	1969-2002	29
Jock Stein	1960-1985	26
Jose Mourinho	2000-present	26

Mircea Lucescu, 76, is the second-most manager in football history. The Romanian took his first steps into management as a player-coach of the now-dissolved FC Corvinul Hunedoara în 1979, and led them to the Liga II title in 1979�?0.

His first major job as head coach was when he was appointed Romania’s manager in 1981. As Lucescu was in his final year in charge of the national team, he signed his first contract as a full-time club manager when he joined Dinamo București in 1985.

After winning three trophies (two Cupa României, one Divizia A), Mircea Lucescu won two trophies across two managerial spells in Italy (1990-1996, 1999).

On either side of his brief term as Inter Milan coach, Lucescu sat in the hot seat at Rapid București and won three trophies.

Mircea Lucescu would later spend his time as manager in Turkey, where he won the league title with Galatasaray and Beşiktaş. He also won the UEFA Super Cup with Galatasaray.

However, his most productive spell as a manager came after joining Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk. In his 12 years at the helm, the Romanian won eight league titles, seven Super Cups, six Cups and the 2008-09 UEFA Cup before it would be rechristened as the UEFA Europa League.

After winning a trophy with Zenit Saint Petersburg and two years as Turkey national team coach, Mircea Lucescu joined Dynamo Kyiv in 2020 and has won three titles since.

Lucescu’s haul of 36 titles, however, is likely to be surpassed by current Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola. One of the most successful coaches in the modern era, Guardiola is third on the list of most trophies won by a manager in football history with 31 titles.

The Spaniard’s trophy-laden spell began with his boyhood club Barcelona, where he won the Division trophy with Barcelona’s B team in June 2007. The following year he was thrust into senior management and quickly shot to stardom by winning the club’s first-ever treble - UEFA Champions League, LaLiga and Copa del Rey.

In four seasons as Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola won 14 trophies across six different competitions before signing as Bayern Munich’s coach after taking a break in the 2012-13 season.

At Bayern, Guardiola bagged three Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokal, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Currently at Manchester City, the Spanish manager has won ten trophies including three Premier League titles.

Valeriy Lobanovskyi (29 trophies) and Jock Stein (26 trophies) complete the top-five list for most trophies won by a manager in football.

Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti are the notable mentions for most trophies won by a manager in football. Ancelotti, with 22 titles, is the first manager to win a league title in each of the five major European Leagues (Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and La Liga). He recently led Real Madrid to their 35th La Liga title.

Mourinho, on the other hand, is the first football manager to win all three UEFA club competitions after his AS Roma team beat Feyenoord 1-0 to win the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.

The Portuguese manager, who began his coaching career with Benfica in 2000, has 26 trophies to his name.

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / ANDREW YATES

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola congratulated sister club Mumbai City FC on Monday for securing the top spot in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 standings and sealing their place in the AFC Champions League (ACL).

On Sunday, Mumbai defeated ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 in the final league encounter of the ongoing ISL 2020-21 season to win the League Winners Shield and secure the group stage spot in next year’s AFC Champions League. The Islanders triumphed at the GMC Stadium, courtesy goals from defender Mourtada Fall and striker Bartholomew Ogbeche.

During a press conference for City’s upcoming league fixture against Wolves, Pep described Mumbai’s performance as an incredible achievement.

"Congratulations to everyone. Incredible achievement. Big achievement for City Football Group. Congratulations to everyone, manager Lobera. Very happy," said the 50-year-old Spanish manager.

Mumbai City FC, coached by Sergio Lobera, is one of the eight clubs worldwide owned by the City Football Group (CFG). Manchester City, six-time champions of the English Premier League, is the flagship club of the CFG.

In 2019, CFG purchased a 65% controlling stake in Mumbai City, who prepare for the first-leg meeting of the ISL semi-final against fourth-placed FC Goa on Friday, March 5.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / John Walton

The Premier League's marquee matchup between Manchester City and reigning champions Liverpool ended in a tame 1-1 draw with Mohammad Salah and Gabriel Jesus getting on the scoresheet for their respective teams.

While neither side would be too discontent with the draw, Liverpool would certainly feel much better about coming away with a point, given their plethora of injuries in midfield and defence. What would concern City boss Pep Guardiola is not the six-point gap between his side and Leicester who sit atop the league standings but rather the baffling lack of attacking production from the four-time Premier League champions so far in the league.

Through seven matches, City have scored just 10 goals in the league, by far the lowest by a Pep Guardiola team in his managerial career. No City player has managed more than two goals in the league, with Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden all managing a couple so far and outside Kevin De Bruyne, who leads the team with three assists, only four other City players have set up their teammates for a goal this season, all with just one assist to their names.

For the depth and talent in the attack that City possesses, their form in front of goal in the league defies logic. And perhaps what is more intriguing is that City's goalscoring concerns are only limited to the league, as they have managed nine goals in three games in the Champions League and five in two League Cup games.

While City's lack of goals can be attributed to the absence of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus for the majority of this campaign so far, their chance creation too has taken a significant dip. Having led the league in chances created by a comfortable margin in each of the last three campaigns, City currently sit sixth, behind the likes of Aston Villa, Leeds United and Brighton.

De Bruyne leads the team with 17 chances created which is second only to Salah in the league, but the team’s second-best creator this season, Joao Cancelo sits at 16^th with 11. No other City player features in the top 25 creators in the league. Last season, four of their players were in the top 16 for chances created in the league.

It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly has caused this dip in City’s attacking impetus. Perhaps its teams in the league figuring them out tactically or the sheer volumes of games coupled with the short summer break making it difficult for the City players to recover and be their sharp selves on the field.

However, the fact remains that City are struggling offensively and Guardiola has to fix it in short order.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Clive Brunskill

The Etihad Stadium will play host to the first of the two marquee matchups between Manchester City and reigning champions Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Merseysiders sit second in the league table with 16 points while City continue to languish at 12th with just 11 points in their opening seven matches.

Guardiola and his men have had a torrid start to their domestic league campaign, dropping 10 points in 11 matches. In their two Premier League winning campaigns with Guardiola, City dropped just 14 and 16 points in 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively, putting into perspective just how uncharacteristic this start to their season is. 

That is what makes Sunday’s fixture must-not-lose for Guardiola's side. A loss will see them fall eight points behind Liverpool and given that the reigning champions have recorded 99 and 97 points in the past two campaigns, it could already be a gap too big for City to bridge.

While the season is still nascent and a defeat won’t really be the end of the world for City, it definitely would feel like it, especially considering that Liverpool will be without their lynchpin Virgil Van Dijk, who will miss the remainder of the season through injury and defensive midfielder Fabinho, who is still sidelined with an injury he picked up in his side's 2-0 win against Midtjylland. 

Questions remain over the availability of centre-back Joel Matip and midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who also have injuries of their own.

All in all, Liverpool come into this contest short-handed but such is the case for City as well, who could have to play this match without a recognised centre-forward as both, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus remaining a doubt for the fixture. But on balance, it is Liverpool who will enter this contest with the larger personnel disadvantage, meaning City and Guardiola would have absolutely no excuse if they go on to lose this contest. 

The last fixture in June ended in a 4-0 victory for Manchester City and Guardiola will certainly not be expecting a similar result, but he expect his side to win and cut the gap between the two sides to just a couple of points. 

A victory on Sunday could be what kickstarts City's Premier League title bid but a loss could deal a serious psychological blow to Guardiola and his men.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dave Thompson

A Kyle Walker goal in the 28^th minute saw Manchester City score an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and climb to eighth on the Premier League table.

Pep Guardiola and his men struggled to break down a side that sit 19^th in the Premier League table with just one point to their name, adding another to their series of uncharacteristic performances since the start of last season.

City are seemingly suffering from tactical fatigue, the kind which struck Barcelona and Bayern Munich at the tail-end of Guardiola's stint with those clubs. However, it doesn’t stop there. A multitude of reasons lead to the conclusion that this may be the end of Guardiola’s run with Manchester City. We list them below:

Done it all, won it all

In his stint at Manchester City, his longest at one club, Guardiola has absolutely bullied the domestic competitions. Two Premier League titles, two FA Cup wins and three League Cups later, Guardiola has absolutely nothing left to win domestically. The only blotch on his City career remains that elusive Champions League trophy.

City and Guardiola’s marriage has paid dividends as both parties expected it to when they started their journey together in 2016, but the biggest prize in club football remains a dream for the duo.

Guardiola’s best chance was perhaps last season, with many touting them to win it all once the tournament was shifted into a single-leg knockout tournament starting with the quarterfinal, but a bizarre loss against Lyon ended their quest for the title in shocking fashion.

The Spanish coach hasn’t won the Champions League since leaving Barcelona in 2013 and it seems that City simply lacks the mentality or Guardiola overcomplicates matters with his squad selection in the latter stages of the tournament, making it impossible for them to claim the throne.

The Messi conundrum

Manchester City were just a step away from signing Lionel Messi, but the deal fell through after Barcelona stood firm on their �?00m demand and the Argentine opted against taking Barcelona to court and instead gave the Blaugrana another season before leaving on a free transfer to England.

But, in a rather cruel twist of fate for City and Guardiola, Barcelona's board, including president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned from their positions and long time fan-favourites Victor Font and Joan Laporta emerged as the lead candidates to replace the maligned former boss.

With the club hierarchy back into the hands of those that put the values of Barcelona ahead of the bottom line, it is likely that Messi will extend his stay at his childhood club and probably even see out his career in Spain, ending City's long-term quest for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

A City move for Messi could have certainly persuaded Guardiola to stay a season or two, but with that certainly out of the question, the Spaniard will retain little reason to continue as the City boss.

The need for a rebuild

If there was one team that most would point and claim to be as close to perfect as a football team can be, it would be Manchester City. However, that certainly isn’t the case.

City's backline, on which the club has spent more than the GDP of most countries on the planet, imparts no confidence on the field. Nathan Ake is a good Premier League defender, who, however, falls way short when compared to Europe’s finest centre-backs or even second-choice centre-backs.

Reuben Dias is still pretty young to be the perfect partner for Aymeric Laporte, while Benjamin Mendy remains the biggest suspect in City's defensive ranks. Kyle Walker turned 30 this season and the club will soon need to find a replacement for the Englishman while Ederson's shot-stopping continues to be a subject of panic for the club.

Club icons Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho are seemingly close to the end of their stints at City while the likes of Phil Foden and Ferran Torres remain a year or two away from being at the level that Guardiola demands from his attacking players.

Make no mistake, City have a fantastic squad at their disposal, but the team still needs repairs in key areas and with the global pandemic affecting income, it could take a couple of years for Guardiola to have a team as stacked as his team from the 2017-18 and 2018-19 season that won back-to-back Premier League titles.

All in all, City and Guardiola have had a terrific time together. But the writing is on the wall for the Spaniard to move on in search of a new challenge elsewhere in Europe.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Rui Vieira

2019-20 finish: Second in Premier League (26W-3D-9L, 81 points)

Head coach: Pep Guardiola

2019-20 top scorer: Raheem Sterling (20 goals)

Other Trophies: None

Manchester City did lose out on the Premier League title to Liverpool by quite a big margin last season but nobody can deny that they have been the most consistent team in the Premier League over the course of the last three editions. They won the title in two back-to-back seasons (2017/18 and 2018/19) and then went on to finish second last time around as well. That's the kind of success anybody would be content with.

However, what surprised everyone last season was that they returned empty-handed as far as other major trophies are considered. Yes, they did win the Carabao Cup but their exit from the FA Cup in the semi-finals and the Champions League in the quarter-finals was pretty hard to digest for the fans. And that is understandable as Manchester City not only have World Class players -- Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling among others -- but their manager, Pep Guardiola, is one of the best in the business as well.

Issues Man City faced last season

When you look at the attacking and defensive stats of all the teams in the 2019/20 Premier League season, you would find that City not only scored the most number of goals (102) but conceded the second least number of goals (35) as well. These numbers sum up that they were clinical in both departments but these numbers don't present the complete picture.

A lot of the goals they conceded were in narrow losses. City's first-choice centre back Aymeric Laporte spent the major part of the season on the sidelines due to injury and Sergio Aguero had to sit out for a large number of games with injuries as well. Laporte's absence at the back meant Guardiola didn't have enough quality in that role anymore and Raheem Sterling's patchy form towards the middle of the season in absence of Aguero only made things more difficult for him.

The vulnerability of the centre back region meant the midfielders had to cover with them during attacks from the opposition. That left City's play from counterattacks pretty weak and most teams targeted this weakness towards the closing stages of the season.

Have the issues been resolved?

Guardiola has been seen busy shopping centre backs in the summer transfer window. He has already brought the services of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth and is reportedly after Jose Gimenez and Kalidou Koulibaly as well. Clearly, he is addressing the need for quality centre backs as a backup in case Laporte gets injured once again.

Moreover, he is also strengthening the midfield and forward lines further. Guardiola has brought the talented Ferran Torres and Pablo Moreno from Valencia and Juventus respectively. Scott Carson is another talented youngster he has loaned in from Derby County.

David Silva's exit from the club has clearly left a big void in their midfield. The likes of Phil Foden will now be expected to attain their first-team roles for the club whereas Guardiola's new recruits will be preparing themselves on the sidelines to deliver when the opportunity comes. So the Manchester City gaffer has clearly identified what went wrong last season and has been trying his best to plug those holes.

Prediction for the 2020/21 season

Last season's disappointment has only made Guardiola even more desperate for tasting success this time. At least one major silverware will definitely be on Guardiola's wishlist for this season and with major holes plugged in their squad, City looks primed to achieve that target this season.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Peter Powell

A mere 10 months into the job and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick guided his side to a historic UEFA Champions League treble, becoming only the sixth manager to do so.

Replacing Nico Kovac in November 2019, the former Germany assistant manager not only steadied the almost-sinking Bavarian ship but also went on to establish a perfect balance between his young as well as veteran players, something that Kovac failed to pull off.

Fast forward to today and Flick has now won 33 of his 36 games in charge and under his management, Bayern have scored a whopping 116 goals while conceding just 26, taking his win ratio to an impressive 91.67 percent. 

An EIGHTH consecutive Bundesliga title for @FCBayernEN!
- David Alaba & Thomas Muller win their ninth title
- Hansi Flick is the third person to win the Bundesliga title for Bayern both as a player and a manager, after Franz Beckenbauer and Niko Kovac.#MEI8STER #Bundesliga pic.twitter.com/5wkKGHq87Q

�?Babatunde Koiki (@BabatundeKoiki) June 17, 2020

Meanwhile, from a larger perspective, Flick is only the ninth manager to have won the continental treble (including the European Cup/Champions League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League), but today, we dive in to look at those six men who have swept the golden treble of the UEFA Champions League.

Sir Alex Ferguson - Manchester United (1998/99)

The race for the Premier League in the 1998/99 season went all the way to the final game of the season. United knew a defeat would hand the title to Arsenal, and thus Alex Ferguson’s young guns went berserk at home. To everyone’s surprise, Tottenham went ahead in front of the scorching Old Trafford crowd, but United, in all their glory, came back from a goal down to win the game 2-1 as Alex Ferguson lifted his fifth Premier League title in seven years.

Four days prior to their Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Camp Nou, United played Newcastle United in the FA Cup final and goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes was enough to complete a double for Ferguson.

United arrived in the Champions League final as the underdogs. The two teams had already faced each other in the group stage of the competition but given Bayern’s experience, odds were stacked United on the night. As was expected, Bayern got the breakthrough early in the game, with Mario Basler finding the net. United, on their part, gave everything to find an equaliser, which they eventually did in the first minute of the injury time through Sheringham. Another corner a couple of minutes later and their current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer directed the ball into the net to send a crowd of 90,000 into a frenzy. 

Pep Guardiola - Barcelona (2008/09)

Pep Guardiola, a managerial rookie back in the day, was appointed Barcelona’s new manager in 2008, and the Spaniard made some hefty changes in the squad, declaring that the likes of Ronaldinho, Deco and even Samuel Eto’o are not the part of his plans. 

His team made a losing start to their La Liga campaign but as the players gathered momentum, they went on to win 27 of their 38 league games, including that famous 6-2 away win against Real Madrid. And some seven odd days before their final league game of the season, they defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the Copa Del Rey final to complete a double in Guardiola’s first season in charge. 

On May 27, 2009, Guardiola and his men were up for arguably the biggest test, as Manchester United, who won the Champions League in 2008, awaited in Italy with a hope of making it two in two years.

However, Barcelona, riding on the back of an excellent campaign of Lionel Messi, registered a 2-0 win over the Red Devils to complete the historic treble in Rome.

Jose Mourinho - Inter (2009/10)

It has been a decade since Inter last won a major title, with the most recent one till then coming way back in 2010 under Jose Mourinho. Arriving from Chelsea in 2008 with a reputation for being a serial winner, Mourinho guided Inter to a league double in his first season, and that campaign was followed by a historic treble.

The 2009/10 season saw several veterans leaving Inter, but Mourinho managed to rope in capable replacements. The team started the new season with a defeat but made it up with an astounding 4-0 win in the Milan Derby. With 75 goals scored across 38 games, Inter finished two points clear of second-placed Roma to complete a successful defence of their Serie A title.

The team squared off against the capital club in the Copa Italia final and a goal from Diego Milito made all the difference as Inter completed a double in the second season running. And after eliminating his former side Chelsea in the round-of-16 of the Champions League, Inter faced Bayern Munich in the final, where Milito once again proved his worth as his brace guided his team to Champions League glory.

Jupp Heynckes - Bayern Munich (2012/13)

Jupp Heynckes returned to Bayern Munich for a third stint in 2011 and finished second to Borussia Dortmund in the league tally. The subsequent season, however, saw the Bavarians rising from the ashes as the team lost a solitary game in the 2012/13 Bundesliga to be crowned the new champions. Heynckes�?side finished with 91 points, 25 points clear of the second-placed Dortmund.

The two teams crossed swords in the DFB-Pokal final, and goals from Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Muller saw them thwart Die Borussen to complete a league double. 

These sides were at it once again, this time in an all-German UEFA Champions League final in May 2013 at Wembley. Mandzukic once again scored the opener but this time, Dortmund found the equaliser through Ilkay Gundogan. Winger Arjen Robben then showcased a moment of magic as Bayern clinched the title in the dying minutes to complete the first-ever treble in their history.

Luis Enrique - Barcelona (2014/15)

Only a year after returning to Spain with Celta, former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder Luis Enrique was named Blaugrana’s new manager in 2014. Despite a massive overhaul in the team, Enrique started off with a 3-0 home win over Elche and went on an eight-game unbeaten run before Real Madrid halted the streak in October. 

Enrique lost just three games till February 2015, and following a 1-0 defeat to Malaga, the Blaugrana gathered 38 points out of the 42 available to finish on the top of the La Liga table. In May 2015, only a few days before their Champions League final tie against Juventus, Enrique defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the Copa del Rey final to complete a league double.

Against Juventus in Berlin, Barcelona played their finest football to come out victorious by 3-1, and that victory made Barcelona the first team to win a Champions League treble in multiple seasons. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Matthew Childs

Zinedine Zidane may never have been hired as Real Madrid coach but for the success of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, but it is Guardiola who now must follow the Frenchman's example to complete his mission at Manchester City.

Zidane's Madrid travel to Manchester on Friday looking to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit from February as the Champions League resumes after a five-month shutdown.

Much has changed since the sides last met. Then under pressure, Zidane, in his second spell in charge at the Bernabeu, has again interrupted Barca's dominance of La Liga with a run of 10 straight victories after Spanish football's return in June to take the title.

Even for the club where Champions League success matters more than anything else, the pressure is off Madrid as Zidane looks to protect his perfect record in the competition as a coach.

• Champions League last-16 ties: How they stand

Three times he led Madrid to Champions League glory in his first spell in charge between 2016 and 2018 and Zidane is yet to be eliminated from the competition as a coach.

"When he has done what he has done, winning three Champions Leagues in a row, taking two La Liga titles from Barca when they -- in this decade -- have dominated this competition like no other club, it shows his ability," Guardiola told DAZN.

"Although people may not believe me because he is from Real Madrid, I am very happy that things are going well because it is very good for football that things go well for people like him."

Barca blueprint

When Zidane was first handed the Madrid job, they were aiming to copy the formula of their rivals in appointing a former midfield great, who had only previously coached the club's youth team.

Guardiola won 14 trophies in four seasons at the Camp Nou between 2008 and 2012, including two Champions Leagues.

League titles and cups have continued to flow for Guardiola at Bayern Munich and in Manchester, but he has not tasted success in Europe's elite club competition since 2011.

Despite winning two Premier League titles among six major trophies since arriving in England, Guardiola admitted earlier this season his time at City would be judged "a failure" if he did not win the Champions League.

The pressure on City has reduced since the first leg as their two-season ban from European competition was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning this month is not their final chance for three years to end their wait to win the Champions League.

However, Guardiola has hinted they may never get a better chance, with the competition reduced to one-off matches from the quarter-finals and all on a neutral site behind closed doors in Lisbon.

The former Barca and Bayern boss has often lamented the lack of atmosphere generated by the City support on big European nights compared with the cauldrons of some of the continent's more intimidating arenas.

"Of course, we have the chance to fight (again next season) but the situation that we have is not coming back again," said Guardiola. "I think the big clubs don't miss these chances to try until the last effort they have in their bodies."

Finishing the job against Madrid would be a major milestone as City's first knockout victory against a former winner in nine seasons in the Champions League.

Zidane has repeatedly stated his belief that Guardiola is "the best coach in the world".

But after finishing 18 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League this season, it is the former Barca ball boy, player and manager who needs to do what Madrid have made a habit of -- transforming miserable domestic seasons into memorable Champions League triumphs.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Javier Soriano

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that Sergio Aguero is unlikely to be fit for the club's Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.

Guardiola's side face Real in the second leg of their last 16 tie on August 7 as they look to protect a 2-1 lead from the first meeting in Spain.

Aguero has been sidelined since June 22 with a knee injury that required surgery in Barcelona.

Earlier this week, Guardiola had raised hopes that City's all-time record goalscorer could return for the clash at the Etihad Stadium.

But, speaking after City's 5-0 win over Norwich on the last day of the Premier League season, Guardiola was far less confident about the Argentine forward's availability to face the Spanish champions.

"I don't think it will be possible," Guardiola said.

Aguero has netted 23 times in all competitions this season, but Gabriel Jesus has stepped up in the Argentine's absence in recent weeks, scoring four goals in his last seven matches, including the opener against Norwich.

City have never gone beyond the semi-finals of the Champions League, but David Silva is hoping to end his 10-year career at the club by completing his collection of medals.

The Spaniard played his final Premier League match on Sunday and was given a rousing reception by his teammates as he was substituted late on.

"I am emotional because I have been working with them 10 years," said Silva. "I'm a lucky guy I had a lot of nice moments.

"Of course I couldn't imagine when I came here to win so many titles and the way we won it."

Silva has won 11 major trophies in his decade in Manchester as well as two European championships and a World Cup with Spain, but has never lifted the Champions League.

"I hope we can win the Champions League," he added. "It's a pity we cannot play with the people (in the stadium) but the safety of people is the most important thing."

Madrid's visit to Manchester will not be affected by the UK government's decision to enforce a two-week quarantine for travellers arriving in the country from Spain.

Under plans agreed earlier this month, elite sport is among the industries exempt from the quarantine rules as long as the government's guidelines and protocols are followed.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Martin Rickett