The Coaches Who Have Won The Champions League with Different Clubs
- Think Football Ideas
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
There’s something magical about lifting the “Old Big Ears.” For the overwhelming majority of managers, it’s a dream never realised, the mythical summit of club football, always just out of reach.
But then, there are the chosen few coaches who are so tactically sharp, mentally unshakable, and they’ve done it not once but twice with different clubs. Different squads. Different eras. And still, somehow, the same result: European dominance. Can you imagine?
So, which coaches have won the European Cup with multiple teams? Let’s dive into this elite club of masterminds and miracle workers, full of iconic names, tactical masterclasses, and more than one shout of “What a manager!”
Below Are The Coaches Who Have Won The Champions League with Different Clubs
1. Carlo Ancelotti – AC Milan (2003, 2007); Real Madrid (2014, 2022, 2024)
Carletto, as they call him, isn’t just part of this club; he practically owns the keys. With five Champions League titles, Carlo Ancelotti is football’s Don of European nights.
He first won it while managing AC Milan in 2003, schooling Juventus in a nervy all-Italian final at Old Trafford. He did it again in 2007, exacting revenge on Liverpool in Athens.
Then came Real Madrid, where Ancelotti’s smooth, eyebrow-raising calm brought La Décima in 2014, a long-craved 10th title for the club.
And just when you thought the old master might be easing into retirement, he did it again in 2022 and 2024, further cementing his legacy as the most successful manager in European Cup history. Icon. Legend. Espresso merchant of chaos and calm.
2. Ernst Happel – Feyenoord (1970); Hamburg (1983)
Before tactics got names like “Gegenpressing” and “inverted full-backs,” there was Ernst Happel, an uncompromising Austrian whose football brain burned with innovation.
In 1970, he led Feyenoord to glory, becoming the first Dutch manager to win the European Cup, yes, before Ajax got going. Thirteen years later, in 1983, he repeated the trick with Hamburg, outwitting Juventus in the final.
Happel was gruff, chain-smoked like a chimney, and let his football do the talking. He remains the first manager to win the competition with two different clubs, and in doing so, set the tone for every elite tactician who followed. Trailblazer? Absolutely.
3. Jupp Heynckes – Real Madrid (1998); Bayern Munich (2013)
The ever-dignified Jupp Heynckes ended Real Madrid’s 32-year wait for a European crown in 1998, delivering La Séptima even as his domestic form cost him his job. That’s right, he was sacked after winning the Champions League. Brutal.
Fast forward to 2013, and Heynckes, back at Bayern Munich, masterminded a historic treble. His Bayern side dismantled Barcelona en route to the final before defeating Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in an all-German showdown. This was a manager who aged like wine and whose second Champions League came 15 years after the first.
4. Ottmar Hitzfeld – Borussia Dortmund (1997); Bayern Munich (2001)
Nicknamed “Der General”, Ottmar Hitzfeld led Borussia Dortmund to a stunning victory over Juventus in the 1997 final, bringing the big prize to the Westfalenstadion. Four years later, he repeated the feat with Bayern Munich in 2001, overcoming Valencia on penalties in a tense final at San Siro.
He remains one of the few managers to win the Champions League with two clubs from the same country, and his calm, mathematical mind made him a consistent presence on the biggest stage. Commanding, classy, and calculating, that was Hitzfeld.
5. José Mourinho – Porto (2004); Inter Milan (2010)
When José Mourinho ran down the Old Trafford touchline in 2004, the world witnessed the arrival of football’s ultimate box-office manager. That season, he led Porto to a shock Champions League win, announcing himself in glorious technicolour.
Six years later, at Inter, Mourinho delivered a masterclass in pragmatism, knocking out Barcelona and shutting down Bayern in the final to win the treble. That 2010 campaign remains one of the most tactically brilliant European runs ever. Mourinho wasn’t just a winner, he was an event.
6. Pep Guardiola – Barcelona (2009, 2011); Manchester City (2023)
What Pep Guardiola built at Barcelona in the late 2000s wasn’t just a football team; it was an art installation. With Champions League triumphs in 2009 and 2011, his sides weren’t just winning, they were performing ballet in boots.
The 2011 final, where Barça outclassed Manchester United, remains a tactical masterclass. But for a long time, Pep’s critics muttered: “He can’t win it without Messi.” Enter Manchester City, 2023.
Guardiola’s long wait ended with a gritty 1–0 win over Inter Milan, thanks to Rodri's strike. No tiki-taka fairytale, just control and cold efficiency. That third title silenced doubters and stamped his brilliance across two eras and two clubs.
7. Luis Enrique – Barcelona (2015); Paris Saint-Germain (2025)
The newest inductee to this elite circle, Luis Enrique, first lifted the trophy with Barcelona in 2015, guiding the MSN trio - Messi, Suárez, and Neymar - [one of Barcelona's best forwards of all time], to one of the most electrifying campaigns in UCL history. That team was pace, power, poetry, and goals. So many goals.
Ten years after his triumph with Barcelona, Luis Enrique stunned Europe again in 2025, this time with Paris Saint-Germain, finally delivering the club’s long-coveted Champions League title.
And he did it after the exodus, no less. With a squad stripped of big names, including Kylian Mbappé, who left on a free in the summer of 2024, Enrique leaned into tactical clarity, cool-headed pragmatism, and a younger, hungrier core. Against the odds, he guided PSG to a 5-0 triumph over Inter Milan on the 31st of May 2025.