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From Michels to Sacchi and Guardiola: The best football managers of all time

From Michels to Sacchi and Guardiola: The best football managers of all time

What is a great coach? How to compare two major managers whose careers are often more than half a century distant? And who is the best manager of all time?

France Football has introduced its ranking of the top 50 football coaches of all time based on three main criteria: the club record, the trace and the legacy left on the game, personality and implicitly there is a fourth added - the duration and the impact of the career.

Dutchman Rinus Michels is on top of the rankings. He revolutionized the game in the mid-1960s by defining the rules of "total football" He was at the crossroads of all the influences of the beautiful game, opening the way for Johan Cruyff in the 90s and Pep Guardiola today.

He has changed the history of two great clubs, Ajax and Barcelona, winning many trophies and, incidentally also, offering the Netherlands their only major title - the EURO 1988. To complete the podium, there are Alex Ferguson in second and Arrigo Sacchi in third, two very different managers who had a great influence on the world of football.

Click on the gallery to see the top 10 managers of all time, according to France Football, as well as some interesting presences in the top 50.