Ranking The 10 Real Madrid Longest Serving Managers

The Spanish giants Real Madrid are in a league of their own among other top European clubs in terms of both on-field and off-field success. They have been crowned as the champions of Spain for the most number of times, claiming 36 La Liga titles and 20 Copa del Rey trophies. The Whites are also the most successful club with a record 15 UEFA Champions League and 5 FIFA Club World Cup triumphs.

Real Madrid’s iconic fortress Santiago Bernabeu, is a dream destination for any professional player and manager. Over the years, legendary players and managers have served the club as the head coach of Los Blancos. Unsurprisingly, the La Liga outfit is also the most supported and richest football team in the world. Notably, the principles of Los Blancos have not changed throughout the club’s history.

Reputable and celebrated tacticians have worked at Real Madrid while managing a roster full of footballing superstars and leading them to achieve significant glory. Currently, one the most decorated and widely admired Italian managers, Carlo Ancelloti, is in charge of the Los Blancos team, which consists of some of the world’s biggest names in the world of football. On that note, we will list the top 10 Real Madrid longest serving managers in the club’s history.

Longest Serving Managers of Real Madrid in History

10. Vujadin Boškov – 1.5 Years

Vujadin Boškov was a legendary figure in Yugoslavia football, he achieved greatness as a player and later turned into a coach after retirement. He won 57 International Caps for Yugoslavia during his playing years. As a manager, Boskov spent a considerable stint as the head coach of Los Blancos, managing 157 games across all competitions. He also led Real Madrid to claim the La Liga title in the 1979/80 season and two Copa Del Rey glories in the 1979/80 and 1981/82 campaigns.

Matches	139
Wins	81
Draws	30
Defeats	81
Trophies	La Liga, 2 x Copa Del Rey

9. John Toshack – 2 Years

John Toshack is only amongst the four British coaches who have managed Real Madrid, he had two brief spells in the Spanish capital from 1989 to 1990 and then in 1999 as interim manager, and led them to lift the club’s fifth successive La Liga trophy during his first spell in the 1989/90 season. During his reign, Los Blancos were the strongest team in Spain implementing a robust attacking style of play. In the 1990 title charge, Madrid scored an astonishing 107 record goals, one of the highest-ever goal tallies by the team in the history of La Liga.

Matches	100
Wins	59
Draws	24
Defeats	17
Trophies	La Liga

8. Leo Beenhakker – 3 Years

Leo Beenhakker was appointed as Real Madrid’s manager in 1986 after managing a few Dutch and Spanish clubs such as Veendam, SC Cambuur and Real Zaragoza. His time with Los Blancos was marked by significant domestic success, his tactical philosophy turned the club into an attacking powerhouse and clinched three La Liga titles in a row from 1986 to 1989. In the 1988/89 season, Madrid also secured the Spanish Cup, the Copa Del Rey, while managing over 200 games across all competitions.

Matches	197
Wins	122
Draws	47
Defeats	28
Trophies	3 x La Liga, Copa Del Rey, 2 x Spanish super Cup

7. José Mourinho – 3 Years

In 2010, Jose Mourinho arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu on the back of a treble-winning campaign with Serie A giants Inter Milan. He was at the helm of Real Madrid as manager for three years till 2013, overseeing 173 matches from the sidelines. Mourinho delivered huge success in lifting the Spanish title, Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup and steered them to the semi-final in the UEFA Champions League on three successive occasions. Under Jose’s supervision, Los Blancos netted a record-breaking 121 goals in the 2011/12 campaign, which still holds the title of the highest goal tally by any team in the Spanish top tier.

Matches	178
Wins	127
Draws	28
Defeats	23
Trophies	La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Spanish Super Cup

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6. Luis Molowny – 3 Years

Luis Molowny began coaching Real Madrid youth teams and also served as their interim manager before taking up the full-time role as the head coach in four different spells (1974, 1977/79, 1982, and 1985/86). He helped the club during a turbulent period, sustaining its competitiveness and achieving monumental success with three La Liga triumphs and two Copa Del Rey domestically. While in Europe, the Spanish club were crowned the UEFA Cup (Europa League) champions in back-to-back 1984/85 and 1985/86 seasons.

Matches	150
Wins	89
Draws	30
Defeats	31
Trophies	2 x La Liga, 2 x Copa Del Rey, 2 x UEFA Europa Cup

5. Vicente del Bosque – 4 Years

Vicente del Bosque is regarded as one of the greatest Real Madrid managers, Bosque is widely respected for his time as the manager at Santiago Bernabeu from 1999 to 2003, being in charge for 4 years. The Spaniard administrated 233 matches for the La Liga giants as the Whites secured eight big trophies, including two UEFA Champions League titles in the 1999/00 and 2001/02 seasons, under his guidance. It was under his reign that Zinedine Zidane scored the iconic goal in the final of the 2002 UEFA Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen. Additionally, they won La Liga twice, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, enforcing global dominance.

Matches	246
Wins	133
Draws	57
Defeats	56
Trophies	2 x La Liga, 2 x Champions League. 2 x Spanish Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup

4. Carlo Ancelotti – 5 Years

The current Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, is the fourth longest-serving manager with over 5 years and still counting. he Italian first spell came back in 2013 when he was hired to replace Jose Mourinho and guided the club to the famous La Décima (10th UEFA Champions League trophy. In 2021, Ancelloti returned to Santiago Bernabeu this time replacing Zinedine Zidane from Premier League club Everton. The Italian tactician piloted the Los Blancos to two Champions League glory, two Spanish league titles, and two UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup triumphs, making him the most decorated Real Madrid manager.

Matches	341
Wins	246
Draws	48
Defeats	47
Trophies	2 x La Liga, 3 x Champions League. 2 Copa Del Rey & Spanish Super Cup, 3 UEFA Super Cup, 2 x Copa Del Rey, 2 x Club World Cup

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3. Zinedine Zidane – 5 Years

Zinedine Zidane‘s three-peat is fondly remembered by Real Madrid fans, he has created an unmatched legacy wearing Los Blanco’s colours as a player and also head coach. During his entire managing career, he has only coached Madrid for five years, earning the designation of second on the list of Real Madrid’s longest-serving manager in two stints. Under his reign, the Frenchman led the club to win 11 trophies, including three UEFA Champions League, two La Ligas, two UEFA Super Cups, two Spanish Super Cups and as many Club World Cups, establishing Real Madrid as a force to be reckoned with across Europe.

Matches	263
Wins	174
Draws	53
Defeats	36
Trophies	2 x La Liga, 3 x Champions League. 2 x UEFA & Spanish Super cup, 2 x Club World Cup

2. Juan de Cárcer – 6 Years

Juan de Cárcer was the Spanish club’s first-ever head coach and 2nd on the list of Real Madrid’s serving managers, devoting six years at Real Madrid as their manager from 1920 to 1926. He won five trophies, which included four regional championship titles in 71 matches for the club, this was before the formation of La Liga. He also laid the foundation for the club to prepare for future success during the early years of the club. De Carcer also managed Real Madrid’s city rivals, Atletico Madrid, with Los Blancos in his managing career.

1. Miguel Muñoz – 14 Years

Miguel Munoz is the longest-serving Real Madrid manager who dedicated 14 long years of his coaching leaving an unrivalled print in the club’s rich history with his legacy. He was on touchlines for Los Blancos in a staggering 542 matches throughout his tenure and won a remarkable 9 La Liga titles (most Spanish league titles by any manager), two European titles and three Spanish cups. Miguel Munoz added 14 prestigious trophies to the club’s trophy-laden cabinet till 1974, when he left the club to conclude his lengthened tenure at Santiago Bernabeu. Then Luis Molowny was appointed as Munoz’s successor in the same year.

Matches	533
Wins	317
Draws	114
Defeats	102
Trophies	9 x La Liga, 2 x Champions League. 3 x Copa Del Rey, Intercontinental Cup

List of Real Madrid Longest Serving Managers

Rank	Manager	Years Served	Tenure	Country
1	Miguel Muñoz	14 years	1960–1974	Spain
2	Juan de Cárcer	6 years	1920–1926	Spain
3	Zinedine Zidane	5 years	2016–2018, 2019–2021	France
4	Carlo Ancelotti	5 years – present	2013–2015, 2021–present	Italy
5	Vicente del Bosque	4 years	1999–2003	Spain
6	Luis Molowny	3 years	1974, 1977–1979, 1982, 1985–1986	Spain
7	José Mourinho	3 years	2010–2013	Portugal
8	Leo Beenhakker	3 years	1986–1989	Netherlands
9	John Toshack	2 years	1989–1990, 1999	Wales
10	Vujadin Boškov	1.5 years	1979–1982	Yugoslavia (Serbia)

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