Surprise name pips Liverpool’s Klopp and Man City boss Guardiola to coach of the decade accolade

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If you asked most football fans to name their coach of the last decade, we imagine a huge chunk of those would be going for Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola without too much hesitation.

To be fair, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane might also be a decent shout, but we’re not convinced that many would immediately be shouting the name of Diego Simeone, as highly regarded as he is.

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Still, it’s the Atletico Madrid manager who has come out on top of the list of the best 20 coaches of the decade, according to the points system and ranking of IFFHS.

The Argentine has undoubtedly done fine work with Atletico, winning major prizes like La Liga and the Europa League, and reaching two Champions League finals and being unlucky to lose both.

We wouldn’t exactly call him coach of the decade, though, so we’re not completely sure about the methodology being used here.

Here’s how IFFHS ranked the top 20 of the last decade, with former Arsenal manager Unai Emery also surprisingly high on the list, though that will undoubtedly be for the work he did before his disastrous spell at the Emirates Stadium…

Diego Simeone
Pep Guardiola
Jurgen Klopp
Jose Mourinho
Maximiliano Allegri
Unai Emery
Zinedine Zidane
Carlo Ancelotti
Mauricio Pochettino
Marcelo Gallardo
Antonio Conte
Claudio Ranieri
Alex Ferguson
Luis Enrique
Jupp Heynckes
Ernesto Valverde
Arsene Wenger
Leonardo Jardim
Jesse Marsh
Laurent Blanc

More Stories Antonio Conte Arsene Wenger Diego Simeone Ernesto Valverde Jose Mourinho Jupp Heynckes Jurgen Klopp Leonardo Jardim Luis Enrique Massimiliano Allegri Mauricio Pochettino Pep Guardiola Sir Alex Ferguson Unai Emery Zinedine Zidane