10 best managers of all time according to AI as Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti snubbed

Football supporters love comparing the merits of players and clubs from different eras, and it's no different where managers are concerned.

If you pick a dozen fans at random then stick them together in one room and ask them to name the greatest 10 managers of all time, the odds of producing 12 identical answers are tiny. Even the chances of everyone's top pick being the same is pretty slim.

Mirror Football has decided to take a slightly different approach this week, asking ChatGPT to provide a ranking. For those unaware, ChatGPT is a language processing tool aided by artificial intelligence technology, but that doesn't mean you can't disagree with its ranking of the 10 best managers of all time.

With only 10 spots to fill and decades of football history to factor in, some big names have inevitably missed the cut. These include Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp - a man who many consider among the best to ever manage a Premier League team - and multiple Champions League-winning boss Carlo Ancelotti.

The list is a blend of current and former bosses, including several who have managed in the Premier League. So, without further ado, here are the top 10.

10. Valeriy Lobanovskyi

A player in his native Ukraine and a manager around the world, Lobanovskyi enjoyed a managerial career lasting more than 30 years. Not only was the Kyiv-born boss famed for his trophies - including multiple Soviet and Ukrainian titles with Dynamo Kyiv - but he was hailed as an innovator whose tactical approach paved the way for those who followed him.

9. Sir Bobby Robson

The mastermind of England's run to the 1990 World Cup semi-finals, Robson was one of a select few English bosses to excel overseas. He thrived with the likes of PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona before rounding off his managerial career with Newcastle United, having led Ipswich Town to their only European trophy in the early part of his career.

8. Brian Clough

Clough's back-to-back European Cup titles with Nottingham Forest remain his proudest achievement, but there was more to the English coach's career. After injuries forced an early move from playing into management, he won his first league title with Derby before moving to the City Ground and excelling as Forest boss.

7. Johan Cruyff

A hugely popular and influential figure as a player and manager, Cruyff was part of an easy-on-the-eye Dutch national team before trying his hand in the dugout with Ajax and Barcelona. His progressive approach to the latter laid the framework for what followed under the likes of Pep Guardiola, who has praised his former manager for his influence.

6. Arrigo Sacchi

Sacchi, like Cruyff, led by example with his teams laying the groundwork on which others could build. The Italian won back-to-back European Cup titles with AC Milan, earning praise from a number of managers in the 21st century, and also reached a World Cup final as his country's manager in 1994.

5. Bill Shankly

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Shankly's management established Liverpool as giants in England while giving them a base to build on. The Scot won multiple domestic titles while laying the foundation for their continued dominance in the 80s.

4. Sir Matt Busby

Another Scot, Busby's first Manchester United spell spanned more than two decades. He built title-winning teams both before and after the Munich air disaster and led United to their first European Cup triumph in 1968.

3. Jose Mourinho

Mourinho worked under Sir Bobby Robson before beginning his own managerial career and rose to prominence with Porto. He won the first of two Champions League titles with the Portuguese side - his second coming later with Internazionale - and won league titles in four different countries.

2. Pep Guardiola

An acolyte of Cruyff's, Guardiola developed his own coaching and tactical style with Barcelona during a spell which brought two Champions League victories. He has since enjoyed further success with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, winning a Treble with the latter in the 2022-23 season.

1. Sir Alex Ferguson

Number one on ChatGPT's list is Ferguson, a man whose two Champions League titles came nine years apart. It was in the Premier League where the Scottish boss dominated for the longest, though, winning a record 13 league titles with Manchester United, and is widely considered among the best to ever manage in world football.

That concludes ChatGPT's ranking of the top 10 managers of all time. The absence of Klopp and Ancelotti, not to mention the order itself, is sure to prompt plenty of debate from fans of all 10 managers on this list (as well as fans of those to miss the cut).

Before you start weighing up the pros and cons, be aware of ChatGPT's own disclaimer: "These rankings are just a starting point, and there are many other highly accomplished football managers who could be considered among the greatest based on different criteria. Success, longevity, innovation, and influence on the game are all factors that can contribute to a manager's legacy."

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