Napoli and Barcelona will meet at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for the UCL 2023-24 Round Of 16 1st leg match. Napoli are coming after playing a 1-1 draw against Genoa in their latest Serie A fixture. Meanwhile, Barcelona are coming into the match after defeating Celta Vigo by 2-1 at home.

Napoli are struggling at the ninth spot of the Serie A table at the moment and have been inconsistent throughout this season. Barcelona are struggling too but still holding themselves in the third spot of the La Liga standings and have been very poor in all competitions. The defending Serie A and La Liga Champions are both in a huge mess which makes it more interesting.

Walter Mazzari was leading Napoli but after their draw against Genoa, Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona, a former Napoli coach arrived on a short-term deal until June, becoming the club's third head coach of the season. On the other hand, Xavi has already announced that he will leave the club at the end of this season. Both sides would like to change their fortune when they meet at the Diego Maradona Stadium for the first leg and Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys for the second leg.

Also Read: Reliving Barcelona's Golden Era: A Tribute to Footballing Brilliance

Different colors, same passion ✨@sscnapoli pic.twitter.com/I5mIvskFXJ

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 19, 2024

Match Details

• Date: 22nd February, 2024

• Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples

• Time: 1:30 am (IST)

• Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)

• VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)

• Live Streaming: IND - Sony Sports Network & Sony Liv

• UK â€“ TNT Sports

• US â€“  CBS Sports

Maradona will be watching from the sky 💫 pic.twitter.com/Q0u7fc49lq

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 20, 2024

Napoli vs Barcelona: Head-to-Head in all Competitions

Barcelona have impressive records against Napoli on the European stage and have won five out of the eight matches played between the two teams. The previous meeting between Barcelona and Napoli in the UEFA Champions League took place in the 2019-20 season and it ended in a 4-2 aggregate victory for Barcelona.

The previous European meeting between the two teams took place in the 2021-22 edition of the UEFA Europa League and it ended in a 4-2 victory for Barcelona.

Barcelona have lost two of their last three matches against Italian opponents in the UEFA Champions League. They have won only one of their last 10 away games in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. So, Napoli have a pretty good chance to avoid a loss in their home.

• Matches Played: 8

• Napoli Won: 1

• Barcelona Won: 5

• Tied: 2

Form:

• Napoli (in all competitions): L-D-W-L-D

• FC Barcelona (in all competitions): L-W-W-D-W

𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗔𝗬 ✨

🆚 #NapoliBarcellona
🏟️ Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
🏆 #UCL
🕒 21:00 CET

💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/IniUjAdelz

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) February 21, 2024

Also Read: Preparing for Premier League Matches in London: A Visitor's Guide

Napoli vs Barcelona: UCL 2023-24 RO16 1st Leg - Team News

Napoli

Francesco Calzona has a fully available squad. Piotr Zielinski, Mathías Olivera, and Alex Meret all recently returned from injuries, while Juan Jesus is back from a domestic suspension. Victor Osimhen is expected to start for Napoli in his first appearance for the club since December 23, having served a suspension before going away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Osimhen's return is also good news for Georgian winger Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was one of the best players in Europe last season but hasn't been the same this term. He would very much like to bring his A game for his side when they take on the Blaugranas at home.

Getting ready for another European night ✨

💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/F8RTnR0zyC

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) February 20, 2024

The last year's quarter-finalists, Napoli finished as Group C runners-up in the Champions League this season, trailing eight points behind Real Madrid, who they were beaten by both home and away. Napoli don't have a good record against Barcelona but if they want to change to fate of their season, they will have to qualify for the Quarter-Finals.

✨ Some nights are lit up by dreams and goals

👊 This is one of those nights! Spotlight on: it's #NapoliBarcelona time!

👉 Last tickets available here: https://t.co/0K0pcNUXk8

💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/Y5kmq6cWpk

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) February 21, 2024

Barcelona

The defending Spanish Champions finished level on points with Porto but secured the top spot through a favourable head-to-head record, having beaten the Portuguese Giant home and away despite defeats against Antwerp and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Joao Felix could return for Barcelona having overcome an ankle injury to take part in training on Monday. But, Xavi remains without Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Ferran Torres, and Marcos Alonso.

Vitor Roque might make his Champions League debut and the 16-year-old Lamine Yamal will be aiming to become the first player to score in the competition at that age.

Ciao, Napoli! 👋🇮🇹@Herno_official | #FormalWearPartner 👔 pic.twitter.com/opfLudlICO

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 20, 2024

Both could start alongside Robert Lewandowski, who hasn't scored a goal in four Champions League appearances this season but has scored in his last three league matches and is Barca's top scorer this season with 17 goals.

Barca have struggled all season for consistency, and Xavi is yet to prove himself as a coach in the continental stage. Napoli have never been weaker than they are now and the Balugranas can get a victory in Naples.

🗣️ Xavi: "We have to prepare knowing that there are also 90 minutes to be played at Montjuïc. But that doesn't change our DNA. We have to defend well and possess the ball." #NapoliBarça pic.twitter.com/OgRRhimOfa

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 20, 2024

🗣️ @DeJongFrenkie21: "We are very excited because we haven't played this kind of game in two years." #NapoliBarça pic.twitter.com/xVRVeRsaOl

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 20, 2024

Napoli vs Barcelona: Probable Lineups

Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Rrahmani, Mazzocchi; Anguissa, Lobotka, Cajuste; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Iñigo, Cancelo; Christensen, De Jong; Yamal, Gündogan, Pedri; Lewandowski

🚨 SQUAD LIST! 🚨

✈️ #NapoliBarça pic.twitter.com/mgt2qJrNCd

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 20, 2024

Napoli vs Barcelona: UCL 2023-24 RO16 1st Leg - Dream XI Team Prediction

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Portugal vs Spain UEFA Nations League 2025 final match tonight. 

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the LIVE updates of the match from the web desk. 

Let me remind you that both Spain and Portugal are looking to become the first ever to win the UEFA Nations League second time. Portugal won it back in the inaugural season in 2019. 

Meantime, Spain are looking to become the first team to retain the UEFA Nations League as a defending champion. 

So, sit back, relax and enjoy the coverage. 

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the UEFA Nations League semi-final match between Spain and France in Germany tonight. 

Spain are looking to become the first team to retain the Nations League since the tournament was introduced in 2018. Meanwhile, the 2021 winners, France, are also looking to win their first Nations League title since then.

Spain defeated the strong Netherlands to enter the final four, while France came from behind to defeat Croatia to earn a place in the semis.

Both teams are set to miss some important players for this tie, and this makes the match more interesting. 

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the updates of the Spain vs France, UEFA Nations League 2025 semi-final. Stay tuned and enjoy the coverage. 

In football, a team wins a treble when they win three major trophies in a single season. Winning the continental treble means winning the premier national league competition, the main national cup competition, and the main continental trophy, for UEFA, which is the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League.

Though winning the Europa League is also considered a treble, it is not accepted wholeheartedly by the pundits and fans as winning the UEFA Champions League. 

Till now, 9 European clubs have been able to win the continental treble. Before we discuss all the European treble winners in men's football history, we must know about the types of Trebles we have in football. 

Barcelona is the only club to win multiple trebles with both their men's and women's team, completing the feat in 2024.

Continental treble

This is considered the actual treble in football where a team go on to win the national league, national cup competition and the main continental trophy. Celtic Football Club in 1966-67 became the first team in football history to win a Continental treble. Till now, 22 men's teams have won the Continental Treble, with 30 being the total number of times. In Europe, only 8 football teams have been able to accomplish the feat.

Domestic treble

Generally, for most of the footballing nations, winning a domestic treble is not possible since they do not allow first-division teams to win any secondary cup or league. A domestic treble includes winning three national competitions, including the national league title, the national cup competition, and one secondary competition. Countries which were under British or French possessions once allowed domestic trebles to happen. Celtic with 8 domestic trebles, and Rangers, with 7, are the most successful teams when it comes to winning domestic trebles.

European treble winners in men's football history

1. Celtic | 1966-67

In the 1966-67 season, Celtic became the first team ever to win the continental treble when they won the Scottish Football League, Scottish Cup and European Cup (UEFA Champions League now).

Celtic with 58 points in the Scottish Football League went past Rangers to clinch the national league. In the Scottish Cup, they defeated Aberdeen Football Club by 2-0 in the final to win the trophy. William Wallace was the goalscorer for them in the final. 

In the European Cup, Celtic defeated Inter Milan by 2-1 in Lisbon to become the first-ever Treble winner in football history. Thomas Gemmell and Thomas Chalmers were the scorers for Cletic that day.

2. 1971-72 | Ajax

Ajax, the football club from the Netherlands became the second European team to win the treble in the 1971-72 season. They won the Eredivisie, their national league and then won the KNVB Cup and later on won the European Cup to complete their treble. That season, Ajax were nearly the invincible team losing just one game in the whole season. 

Here are all the teams which went unbeaten in a whole football season. 

In the Eredivisie, Johan Cruyff became their top goal scorer with 25 goals. Ajax with 63 points, 8 points cleared Feijenoord in the second position. In the KNVB Cup, they defeated FC Den Haag in the final by 3-2 to win the cup. Cruyff had scored the opener in that game also and scored three goals in the tournament. 

In the European Cup, they defeated Inter Milan by 2-0 with Johan Cruyff scoring a brace for them. In all together Cruyff had scored 33 goals for them that season in the three tournaments.

3. 1987-1988 | PSV

In the 1987-88 season, PSV became the second team from the Netherlands to win the historical treble. That season they won the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup and the European Cup. They won their 10th Eredivisie title with 59 points, 9 points clear of Ajax in the league table. Wim Kieft scored 29 goals in that season for PSV in the league. 

In the KNVB Cup final they defeated Roda JC by 3-2 in the extra time. Then, they went on to win the European Cup by defeating Benfica in the final by a 6-5 penalty shootout. Ronald Koeman came out as one of the standout performers for PSV that season. 

Know about defenders with most UEFA Champions League goals.

4. 1998-99 | Manchester United

It took 11 more years for any team to win the European Treble and Manchester United became the first team from England to achieve that feat. United, under  Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League after not winning any trophies in the previous season. The treble is regarded as the achievement in his career, and he was awarded the knighthood in November 1999 after that success. 

They won the Premier League with 79 points, 1 point more than Arsenal. Dwight Yorke with 18 goals was their and League's joint-highest goal scorer in that season. In the FA Cup, despite facing difficult opponents throughout the tournament, Ferguson's men kept on fighting back, and after two semi-final replays against Arsenal and a final against Newcastle United, they won the FA Cup. Paul Scholes and Teddy Sheringham scored for them in a 2-0 win in the final.

Read about teams with the most Premier League titles. 

In the Champions League, they were drawn into the group of death alongside FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Brondby. They qualified for the knockouts as the runner-up from the group and defeated Inter Milan and Juventus in the quarter and semi-finals, respectively, before beating FC Bayern Munich in a historic comeback in the final. In front of 91000 people in Barcelona, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored in the added minutes to hand Manchester United a terrific 2-1 win over Bayern.

Do you know which team won the FA Cup most number of times?

5. 2008-2009 | Barcelona

FC Barcelona in the 2008-09 season became the first Spanish team to win the European Treble. Under their former captain, and Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola, the Spanish giants reached their peak in that season winning the La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. They are still the only Spanish team to win the European Treble. 

After selling players like Deco and Ronaldinho, Barcelona started to reorganise their shape as a club and Lionel Messi alongside Samuel Eto'o became their hero at the front. They won La Liga with 87 points, 9 points clear of Real Madrid. Samuel Eto'o with 30 goals in the league was their top scorer. 

In the Copa del Rey final, they defeated Athletic Bilbao by 4-1 as Yaya Toure, Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Bojan scored for them after conceding an early goal. 

In the 2008-09 Champions League, Barcelona had to clear the qualifying round first to enter the group stage. They defeated Wisła Kraków in a two-legged qualifying round before entering the group stage alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting CP and Basel. 

They topped the group stage and then went on to beat Lyon, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea in the knockouts before beating Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the final in Rome. Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi scored one goal each as Barcelona scripted history. Messi finished with 38 goals in all competitions that season. That season saw Lionel Messi win his first Ballon d'Or award with a record margin of 240 points than second-position Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona in 2009 became the first team to win a "sextuple" in European football history.

6. 2009-10 | Inter Milan

Right after Barcelona's historical 2008-09 season, Inter Milan created their history as they became the first and still the only Italian team to win the European treble. They were the sixth European Treble winners in the men's football history. It was the "special one", Jose Mourinho's second and last season with the club that helped the Italian giants create history. 

After a historical season with FC Barcelona, Samuel Eto'o was swapped with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and was sold to Inter Milan. Eto'o that season went on to become the only player to win back-to-back European Treble. That season Inter Milan won their fifth consecutive Serie A title, Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League. 

They first won the Coppa Italia by beating Roma in the final. Diego Militao scored the lone goal for them in the final. Then, they won the Serie A on the final match day with 82 points, 2 points more than Roma. Diego Militao scored 22 goals in the league season for them.  

In the UEFA Champions League, they were clubbed with Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv and Rubin Kazan and progressed to the knockout stage as the runner-up of the group. In the knockouts, they defeated Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and Barcelona before winning 2-0 against Bayern Munich in the final. Militao scored a brace for them and won the player of the match award as well. 

Read about managers with the most wins in UEFA Champions League history.

7. 2012-13 | FC Bayern Munich

In the 2012-13 season, FC Bayern Munich became the first and only German team to win the European Treble. Under head coach Jupp Heynckes, they won their 22nd Bundesliga title, and 5th UEFA Champions League title alongside the DFB-Pokal title. 

Before the season they brought in players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Dante, Claudio Pizarro, Mitchell Weiser, Tom Starke and Mario Mandzukic alongside Javi Martinez for a then-record signing fee. 

In the league, they acquired a record-breaking 91 points as Mario Mandzukic finished with 15 goals against his name. In the DFB-Pokal, they defeated VfB Stuttgart in the final by 3-2 as Mario Gomez scored a brace for them.

In the Champions League, they were grouped with Valencia, BATE Borisov and Lille. They moved to the next stage as the group champions and then faced Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona in the knockouts. In an all-German final, they defeated Borrusia Dortmund by 2-1 to complete their treble. Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben scored for them in the final.

8. 2014-15 | FC Barcelona

Under head coach Luis Enrique, FC Barcelona in the 2014-15 season became the first team in European football history to win the treble more than once. In the summer, Barcelona signed Uruguayan striker  Luis Suarez which helped them create one of the most successful trios in football history in M-S-N with Messi, Suarez and Neymar. They had also signed Marc-André ter Stegen and Ivan Rakitic same season.

They won the La Liga narrowly with 94 points, 2 points clear of Real Madrid. Lionel Messi (43) was outscored by Cristiano Ronaldo (48) in the league that season. Neymar also scored 22 goals for Barcelona in the league that season.

In the Copa del Rey final, they defeated Athletic by 3-1 as Messi scored a brace and Neymar netted once. 

In the Champions League, they faced PSG, Ajax and APOEL in the group stage and advanced to the knockout stage as the champions of the group. They then went on to beat Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich before beating Juventus by 3-1 in the final. Neymar, Rakitic and Suarez scored in that final. Messi with 58 goals in all competitions was their top scorer. After that performance, Messi went on to beat Ronaldo and Neymar to win his 5th Ballon d'Or.

9. 2019-20 | FC Bayern Munich

Post Barca's remarkable success in the 2014-15 season, German club FC Bayern Munich went on to equal their records as the second team in European Football history to win the treble more than once. Under coach Hansi Flick they went on to become the second team in European football to win the "sextuple". 

Niko Kovac was the manager for FC Bayern Munich when they started the season, and then Hansi Flick was named as the interim manager. In a season hit by Covid-19, Bayern were forced to play behind closed doors. 

However, that did not restrict them from being their brutal best. Robert Lewandowski broke the record for the most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season (34) as Bayern lifted the league for the 29th time. 

In the DFB-Pokal final, they defeated Bayer Leverkusen by 4-2 as Robert Lewandowski scored a brace for them.

In the UEFA Champions League round of 16, they defeated Chelsea. Then, they humiliated Barcelona by an 8-2 win (the biggest margin in a UEFA Champions League knockout game) and thrashed Lyon by 3-0 before beating PSG by 1-0 in the final. Kingsley Coman scored the all-important goal for them in the final.

10. 2022-23 | Manchester City

In the 2022-23 season, Manchester City became the second English team and 8th overall team to win a European Treble. Pep Guardiola created one of his records as he became the first coach in European history to win the treble more than once.

Manchester City were coming into the season as the Premier League defending champions and signed players like Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez to strengthen their squad. Erling Haaland went on to break the record for the most Premier League goals scored in a single season as he scored 35 goals in the whole season. City went on to win their 7th Premier League title with 89 points.

In the FA Cup final, City's captain Iikay Gundogan scored the fastest goal in the FA Cup final's history as they defeated Manchester United by 2-0 in the final. 

The Haaland riot continued in the UEFA Champions League as well as he scored four goals against RB Leipzig in the round of 16. They then went on to beat Bayern in the quarters and Real Madrid in the semis before beating Inter Milan in the final by 1-0. Rodri scored the lone goal for them in the final and was named player of the final as well. 

Erling Haaland scored 52 goals in his 53 games for Manchester City that season. However, despite that performance, he could not beat Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or trophy. 

11. 2024-25 | PSG

PSG became the latest team to win the European treble under Luis Enrique as they clinched their first-ever Champions League trophy, and also lifted the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France trophies.

In Ligue 1, they clinched the French Championship with 84 points, as Ousmane Dembele, with 21 goals, won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot. 

In the Coupe de France final, they defeated Reims by 3-0 as Bradley Barcola scored a brace and Achraf Hakimi scored another goal to seal the win.

In their historic Champions League season, Dembele finished as their top scorer of the season while Desire Doue scored a stunning brace to help them lift the title. Achraf Hakimi scored in all quarters, the semis and the final to become one of the heroes for them.

With this win, Luis Enrique became the second manager to win two European trebles with two different teams. 

The pain of a Champions League final defeat is a feeling few footballers will ever experience. But for some, that crushing disappointment has become an all too familiar nightmare.

The recent 2025 final saw Lautaro Martinez experience this heartbreak, joining a list of legendary players who have been extremely close to European glory, not once, but multiple times.

Check out the list of players with most Champions League finals without winning it ever.

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus) | 3 Finals

One of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time, Gianluigi Buffon was the extraordinary last line of defence for Juventus for many years. He reached the finals 3 times out of which twice he led the the team as a captain, and lost all of them.

• 2003 Final: Faced AC Milan that ended 0-0 after extra time, where Buffon made a crucial save from Filippo Inzaghi in the normal time. However, Juventus ultimately lost 3-2 on penalties.
• 2015 Final: Led Juventus against Barcelona and faced a 3-1 defeat, despite a commendable performance.
• 2017 Final: Lost 4-1 against Real Madrid and it was painful as the opponent dominanted completely in the second-half.

Read Also: Football Facts: Managers with most UCL titles

Paolo Montero (Uruguay, Juventus) | 3 Finals

Paolo Montero was a key central defender of Juventus' backline during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He too reached the finals thrice and never tasted victory in any of the Champions League finals.

• 1997 Final: Juventus were the defending champions in this season, and was unable to control Borussia Dortmund, lost 3-1 in the finals.
• 1998 Final: Lost 1-0 vs Real Madrid in a tense final, which marked their second consecutive final defeat.
• 2003 Final: Battled AC Milan to a 0-0 draw and eventually lost 3-2 in penalties.

Alessio Tacchinardi (Italy, Juventus) | 3 Finals

Another player of Juventus, Alessio Tacchinardi, a hardworking midfielder, finds his place in this list with 3 final defeats. He also has the same story as Montero, with disappointing losses in the years 1997, 1998, and 2003.

Read Also: Most Champions League titles won by Football Clubs

Lautaro Martinez (Argentina, Inter Milan) | 2 Finals

The Argentinian striker, Lautaro Martinez is Inter Milan's attacking shepherd and captain. He made his way up in this list with their recent loss in the 2025 Champions League final against PSG. He was a part of 2 finals and lost both the times.

• 2023 Final: Despite great efforts, lost 1-0 to Manchester City in a thrilling final. Martinez had a chance to equalize but couldn't convert, a moment that lingered in the memory for Inter fans.
• 2025 Final: A heavy 5-0 loss against Paris Saint-Germain which added a second layer to his final setbacks.

Antoine Griezmann (France, Atletico Madrid) | 2 Finals

Antoine Griezmann was the creative heartbeat and primary attacking threat for Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid during their golden era. He reached the finals 2 times with this side and met with defeats every time.

• 2014 Final: Faced cross city rivals Real Madrid in a dramatic final, and lost 4-1.
• 2016 Final: Another defeat against Real Madrid, where they lost 5-4 (Juanfran missed the decisive penalty) in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Read Also: 10 most successful African Players with most goals in the UEFA Champions League

Other Atletico Madrid Players with 2 UCL final defeats in the same years (2014, 2016):

In Europe, the Champions League is seen as the most demanding title among players, managers, and clubs from all over Europe. The Giant clubs compete for this specific trophy every year, with the prestige and financial rewards received from the tournament being among the biggest in club football.

Achieving success in this competition is usually seen by most players and managers as the benchmark of club-level achievement in Europe. For many managers, winning the Champions League is the ultimate goal.

Some managers, however, have managed to win the competition multiple times, some with multiple teams as well. Without further due, here are the interesting football facts of the five managers with the most Champions League titles.

Read Also: Barcelona 2008/09 vs Man City 2022/23 - which Pep Guardiola treble team is better?

Football Facts: Managers with the most UCL titles 

Pep Guardiola | 3 Champions League titles

Many regard Pep Guardiola as the greatest manager of his generation due to his success with all the clubs he has managed. The Spanish manager has won the competition thrice in his managerial career, two times with FC Barcelona and once with Manchester City.

Guardiola won his first Champions League title in his first season in charge of Barcelona, with his side defeating Manchester United 2-0 in 2008-09 as part of their first-ever treble. The former Barcelona midfielder was 38 years old at the time, making him the youngest manager to win the competition to date.

He won his second title two years later in the 2010-11 season, defeating the same opponent 3-1 in the final. Lionel Messi was the star of both triumphs, scoring both times.

Then he managed Bayern but wasn't able to bring any Champions League titles to the German Club. Finally, his 12-year wait came to an end when Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the Final of the UCL 2022-23 season.

Read Also | European treble winners in men's football history

Zinedine Zidane | 3 Champions League titles

Zinedine Zidane led Real Madrid in its most dominant period of the 21st century. The Frenchman won three titles with Los Blancos in three years in charge of the club.

Zidane won his first title just four months after he replaced Rafael Benitez as manager of Real Madrid. He led the side to defeat Atletico Madrid on penalties in the 2015-16 final.

The next season, Real Madrid defeated Juventus 4-1 in the final for their 12th crown.

Zidane led Real Madrid to a 3-1 win over Liverpool in the 2017-18 final. The Frenchman is the only manager in history to win the competition three consecutive times. He is also the first and only French manager to win the competition to date.

Bob Paisley | 3 European Cups

Bob Paisley was a Liverpool soccer player, manager, and administrator for almost 50 years. 

No football manager demonstrated the art of leading quietly and without ego more than Bob Paisley. He won twenty trophies in nine years for Liverpool Football Club between 1974 and 1983.

He brought 3 European Cups, six League Championships (including three in a row in 1981, 1982, and 1983), three League Cups, 6 Charity Shields, one UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.

Paisley is the only British manager to win the European Cup three times. Bob is now regarded as one of the best soccer managers of all time.

Carlo Ancelotti | 5 Champions League titles

Carlo Ancelotti is one of football's managerial greats of the 21st century. The Italian manager has won five Champions League titles in his time as a manager, having also won the competition twice as a player.

Ancelotti won his first Champions League title in the 2002-03 season with AC Milan as his side defeated Juventus on penalties in the final. He won his second title in the 2006-07 season as AC Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1.

Ancelotti won his third title with Real Madrid in the 2013-14 season after his side defeated Atlético Madrid 4-1. His fourth title came in the 2021-22 season with Real Madrid once again after a 1-0 victory over Liverpool.

He completed his fifth win in the Champions League as a manager in the 2023-24 season when Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund by 2-0 in the final.

The Italian manager is also the only manager to win all of Europe's top five leagues.

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Football Facts: Managers with the most UCL titles (Top Ten)